Thursday, Sept 4

Today is Kevin's and Grandma Whiting's Birthday!!!! They are both getting so old. I feel like we are getting younger so I don't understand how that happens to them!! I guess our physical bodies get older as our spirits get wiser and more experienced, (one gets worse and the other gets better!)

Elder Whiting and I went to a Ham Radio Meeting tonight. It was very interesting and they were so nice. They really made us feel like one of them. We have been quiet about being missionaries other than introducing ourselves. But tonight they just wanted to know about us. one fellow, Jim, even ask us where the LDS church was located. He was so nice. He told us about being married to a lady for two years after he lost his first wife and how they drove up through Alaska and all over the Western United States.

We told them tonight that we were ready to take the Ham Radio Tests so they scheduled us for Sept. 20th. They seemed very happy to accomodate us. They are a very nice and congenial group. There is one other lady besides me, but we do have a friend in the church who also belongs. They always have water for us and coffee for the ones that want it.

Bob and Millie Cornell were happy to see us today. They always come out and welcome us. We read in 3rd Nephi with them and then Elder Whiting taught them about church government and how it is set up. We answered a lot of questions also. There was a good spirit there. Millie has her cast off and her arm still looks very painful and swollen. She said her doctor said that it will never return to complete use again as before. But she will be able to use it more as she works it and gets more movement. We are planning to go out to eat with them next week after our lesson. They wanted to take us out to Olive Garden next week after our meeting. They are going to show us a shortcut to Waxahachie.

A new member of our ward, Bro. Sanders, was happy to see us today. He is so lonely and needs people to care about him. He is retired and his (new) wife is quite a bit younger than him and is a full blooded Native American. She works in Dallas all week and is home on the weekends. We met them on Sunday and then drove out to visit him today. He has sent a son on a mission and loves the Lord and the Gospel. He has actually lived in this ward for a long time, but has attended the Hillsboro Ward because they felt neglected here. But now they have chosen to come back. He says he has come back here to die. He has had a quadruple bypass and it has been 8 years so he says it might not be much longer. We just listened and shared with him and he us. We hope that he felt our caring.

We also visited Hollie tonight and taught her about light and borrowed light. Hollie is a special girl, but she needs members of the Branch to show caring and interest in her or they will lose her, and we will not always be here for her. We are working on getting some member on the branch to go with us and teach her. I guess we need to do some praying about it.

Our work is so enjoyable. I feel I am progressing in my ability to teach and have Heavenly Father help me with the Holy Ghost. I have a ways to go, but I feel the spirit very close. Today at the Cornells we talked about being around people that emanated the spirit and Millie said,
"Yes, that's you guys." I feel such joy that she can feel that. I'm not sure that Bob can feel it totally yet. It is such a feeling of joy to feel such love for these people.