After a week of Archives

 The Temple the night we went...

1 March 2013

We finally got the Internet hooked up.  It is good.  We are now up and running , and Elder Nelson is doing our taxes as we speak.

I am not sure where I left off.  I think I wrote about our second Sunday in our Branch.  It was so wonderful.  I am so excited about this calling.  The MTC called me on Tuesday of this week, and ask a bunch of questions.  I answered.  They are going to work with me to become an “Independent Spanish learner”.  I understand that means I will learn the way I learn things the best.  They are going to have a language specialist meet me (on Skype) once a week, and then a tutor once a week.  I will have about an hour of homework a night, and I should commit to 4 hours daily of working in the language.  Four hours is a lot with the hours we put into the Archives each day, but I can study on the bus going and coming, and when I am better and can understand better I can listen to Spanish on my phone while I am working at the Archives.  I  then had to submit my goals…what I want to accomplish in learning Spanish.  I set some pretty high goals, but I think it can happen because I want this gift so very, very much.  They will be getting back in touch with me with a schedule.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to learn Spanish!

Now, at the Archives….It is such a wonderful place.  The first day, Monday, we got our temp. badges and set in motion the background investigation.  So some of you will get a call or visit from someone from the FBI about us.  I hope you say good things????  J   Then our Supervisor, Jackie, took us on a tour of the Archives.  It was so fascinating!  The records of our Nation that they have there is totally amazing.  And while we are there we can do research with “original” documents!  Jackie told us we can copy what we want and she will stamp it so we can get it out of the building.  Oh Man….am I in Heaven?

Now it is just budgeting the time.  Anyway, the tour took all the rest of the day.  The Archives are right on Pennsylvania Ave in downtown DC.  Amazing!

   

On Tuesday, we started “shadowing” Rob and Brenda Dickey.  They are the couple we will be replacing.  We cannot touch the documents yet until we go through “document handling training” next week.  So we watched their routine of unfolding the documents, capturing them on camera, and the refolding of the documents.  One or the other captures the picture while the other unfolds or refolds.  It is quite a dance.  The missionaries are allowed to listen to books on audio with headphones or whatever.  It is really quiet in there.  There are no windows and the temperature and humidity is set at a perfect setting for the documents.  It isn’t real cold, but a bit cool in the room.  In the room is two camera setups and two worktables.  Two couples are working on this project of the Homestead Act of 1862.  They are coming to the end of Nebraska.  However, the work will slow down as the other couple in the room is being released next month.  So the camera will be still. 

Anyone even thinking of a mission….do it…there is so much to do and you are so very needed!

The project in the other room in the Civil War widows Pension Records.  There are two cameras for that project and only one is manned by a couple.  So that project needs a couple also so more work can be done.  The couple working on that project is the Andersons.  They live in the same building that we do, so we are going to car pool with them to the bus.

We leave about 7:15 a.m. and get to the Archives II about 7:40 depending on traffic.  Then the shuttle bus that takes us downtown leaves at 8:05 a.m. and we get to the Archives downtown about 8:45 or so.  At the Archives II building, there is a beautiful trail around the building of about 2/3 of a mile up and down.  We have been trying to do that each morning.  It is good to get the fresh air.  It will be very beautiful as spring emerges.  The birds are singing already.

We work on the top floor which is the 18^th.  But that is a little deceiving.  When they built the Archive building, originally there was to be a park inside that would be surrounded by the building.  But then they realized that they need that space to store documents, they built a connecting tower in the middle of the building.  And actually the floors in this tower are shorter than a regular floor…It is hard to explain.  Anyway that is where we work.  I have been trying to take as many stairs as I can going up.  I get to the 9^th or 10^th floor so far, and then I have to take the elevator the rest of the way.  My goal is to be able to go up all the stairs eventually.  We will take the stairs down most of the time.  We eat at a little café’ inside the towers.

We shadowed the Dickeys for the week.  Yesterday at lunch the Dickeys took us out to the Old Post Office just down the street to have lunch.  They took their lunch and so did we, however, we needed the microwave…which wasn’t there…so we got a sandwich.  There are a lot of little shops inside.  I understand that Donald Trump has leased the building and is going to make it a hotel.  It will be a very beautiful hotel.  The National Park Service operates the elevator that take you up to the bell tower.  It is very high.  The bells in the tower are used on special occasions.  They have a group that comes and practices ringing the bells on Thursdays.  It was a neat experience and we will probably visit again when we have more time.

Elder Nelson and I were able to take some time and get our researchers card so we can research at the Archives.  I am not sure when we will get the time…but maybe things will settle down as we get into a routine.

We have noticed that food doesn’t keep as well here, so we are going to have to do a little shopping for fresh things each week.  So far we are doing very well in making our lunches and making dinner when we get home.

I will add some pictures here also.  I guess that about catches us up on things.  Tonight we have been invited to the Dickey’s to play some games and meet another missionary couple.  Tomorrow the missionaries in our Branch have set up a “study hour” for us to study Spanish with them on Saturday mornings, so we will do that.  And then the Branch is having a seminar on teaching.  We will stay for a couple of hours of that also.

Well, my laundry is done, so I will close and get back to Elder Nelson and see how the taxes are doing.

This is Saturday:  We went to the Church this morning to have a Spanish lesson with the Elders.  It was so wonderful!  Elder Branning and Elder Guerria taught me because I am so green.  Elder Anderson and Elder Gleed worked with Elder Nelson.  I learned how to say a prayer!  I have a little "cheat" sheet, But I can do it.  Elder Nelson and I are to say all our prayers in Spanish.  I can use my cheat sheet on for a little while.  I am going to learn to do my testimony.  In fact, Elder Branning challenged me to write my testimony and give it at Church tomorrow!  Oh Boy!  I am going to do it!  I feel the Lord blessing me in my desire to learn Spanish.  It is amazing how I feel.

So now all up to date!

This is the building that we work in.

This is the door we go in.  The guards are so nice.   When you come out you have to step in this monitor and if it says a green check, you can go on through.  However, if it turns red X, they have to go through you bags.  Well, for two days in a row mine turned red X...I teased the guard that he was saving all the red Xs for me....

Back a week

This is a post that I wrote when we were waiting on Internet service:

24 February 2013

We have been out of Internet this week.  We thought we had it all set up that we could use our cell phone as a “hot spot” and have our Internet…Well….we learned very quickly that it used up our speedy megs really fast.  The say “unlimited data”  but that is really slow after you use your allowed amount.  So, we have ordered Verizon triple-play where we will have Internet and phone and TV.  We won’t be using the TV much, but it was cheaper to get all three than just the Internet.  Don’t ask why…I don’t know.

This past week has been just wonderful.  The weather has been lousy, and cold and windy…but otherwise wonderful.  We have been out and learned where some stores are.  We have been told several different places to shop for food.  One was really discounted, but the choices were very limited.  Safeway was WAY too expensive, and one called Giant was fair.  However, we found a big Super Walmart and Sam’s together out of the hussle and bussle and it was just so wonderful to shop where we knew…Just call us dedicated Walmart shoppers!  We will go out there a couple of times a month.

I bought a plant to put in our apartment at Walmart…a big, big plant that was on super sale!  Then I got me a little beta fish in a very small aquarium.  She is blue with white on the tips of his fins.  Very pretty.  I call him Blue Boy.  So now I have a plant and a pet and I am set…this is home!

We have figured out doing our laundry over at the Temple missionaries’ apartment house across the street.  We also park our car there so we can see it out our window.

Elder Nelson went out on splits with the missionaries on Wednesday night.  I stayed here, and we both felt very uncomfortable about the situation.  I was here alone without a phone and he was driving where he wasn’t familiar.  So, we decided that from now on we will follow the council of our dear Stake President and stay together.  So when Elder Nelson goes I go also.  We talked about that with the missionaries and they are good with that.

Friday we went to a session at the Temple.  OH My…what a beautiful Temple!  The session was so small…only 5 women and 6 men.  But wonderful!  It is just so beautiful!

Saturday night we went over to the Visitors Center and heard a wonderful program sang by two choirs: the Mormon Choir of Washington DC and a Black Baptist Choir, and a soprano soloist.  It was fantastic! It was old black hymns.  Oh, it was music to my ears.  Very well done.  The soloist was just so very beautiful. She had such a range in her voice and such feelings in her songs.  I guess she say at one of the Balls at the Inaugural of President Obama.  Anyway, she sang beautifully.

Ok, now to today at Church…It was so very, very much better!  The people were friendly and happy to see us.  I had one of the missionaries translate for me at Sacrament Meeting.  In Sunday school it was harder…no translator.  But I could feel the compassion of the teacher.  We go to the Gospel Principles class and today the lesson was on why we need a Savior and the war in Heaven.  It was good.  Then in Relief Society a sister sat behind me and translated for me.  It was so kind of her.  The lesson was on parenting by L. Tom Perry from October conference.  I could feel for these sisters.  Most are single parents and struggling.  There are two sets of Elders in the Branch, and today one set taught Primary (They only have maybe 10 children), and the other set taught Young Women!  It is indeed a small branch.

But after the block meetings, there was a baptism!  A man that just joined the Church in October baptized his Mother!  And he is in a wheelchair.  It was just wonderful how the Elders held up the man’s hand and help the mother to go under the water.  She had to be dunked 3 times to get her all covered with water.  It was just real nice.  And after the baptism service they served a dinner.  We stayed and visited with everyone.  It was really nice.  The Elders are going to start a little Spanish class just for us on Saturday mornings for a little while.  They are the greatest Elders.

So we got home about 5:00 p.m.  It was such a good day.  We are very happy and loving it here.  Tomorrow we start at the Archives for our training there.  We have made our lunch and will be ready to go by 7:15 a.m.  Then we will begin our routine.  We are just so very grateful for this opportunity.  Oh…I forgot…on Saturday we also went to visit Elder Nelson’s sister Linda and her husband Terry.  It was just so good to see them.  They took us out for lunch and sent us home with some fruit and desert.  They live about 50 miles away.  On the way there our “Sister Garmin” took us right through downtown DC!  What a wild ride through all the narrow streets!  It was fun!  On the way home Elder Nelson figured out how to get home via the freeway…much, much faster…. 

So that is the update….we love you all, everyone!  And God bless you one and all!

The end of the trail....

We have been here in DC since Friday afternoon.  It has all been such a whirl!  Our apartment is a nice one.  It has lots of windows that face west.  So there is lots of natural light.  We moved most every thing in on Friday afternoon.  Saturday we had lunch with our mission president.  It was a nice lunch, and nice to meet them.  We also had to get some groceries.  We went to the closest market which was Safeway.  It was a lot pricier than Walmart.  On Saturday also we found a Walmart about 10 miles away.  Boy, was it crowded!  Everyone was speaking different languages and I felt I was on another planet.  We will have to find a better place to shop.  That Walmart didn't have very many groceries at all.  I did get sheets and a spread that are more to my tastes.  I felt like I was living in someone else's home and they weren't here.  It felt strange. The hall to the apartment looks like a really old big motel with nothing but doors every apartment.  It is cold and strange, but our apartment is bright and good.  We can hear too much at all about what is going on down the way or in other apartments.  I am surprised at how quiet it really is.

Yesterday we went to our new ward.  It is in a very brand new building almost in downtown DC.  We are assigned to a Spanish branch.  And..Wow...was I in for a culture shock.  It was all totally Spanish!  I couldn't understand a word that was said.  I felt like an alien!  The branch president invited us up to give a testimony, and I wanted to hide under the seats!  I didn't even know that was what he wanted us to do!  Creig did so we went up.  They ask someone to translate for us.  The branch is small, but the faces seem so kind.  The sisters welcomed me with hugs.  I was so overwhelmed!  I hope I can do this.  I want to get to know the sisters and work with them and serve them...I just hope I can do this.  It is what I want to do so badly.  I hope the Lord will bless me in my desires in this.

I have slept a lot today.  I feel so tired.  And I feel homesick some.  This is all so very new.  When we got here on Friday, I told Creig...."well, vacation is over, time to go home!"... But slowly this will become our home also.  I don't really know what I expected....but  it is surely different.

On Friday on our way from Richmond, we stopped in Petersburg, VA.  It was where the last few days of the Civil War was fought.  We stopped and saw what is left of the defenses that the Southerners built to try and save Petersburg and Richmond.  My Granddaddy, John Mahaffey, was here those final days.  We talked with one of the park officials and he used a map to show where everything happened.  The 11th Alabama was at Five Forks battle.  We went there and took some pics...but I lost them on my camera :(  But it is pretty much as it was then.  And not too far away was the Battle at Sailors Creek and John Mahaffey was there also.  They built up nearly 45 miles of barriers.  Some you can still see the remains of.  Anyway, that was a real treat for me. They told us that at Appomattox they have a list of all the soldiers that were taken prisoners of war that day and my John Mahaffey must be one there.  I would like to go there and see.

Today one of the couple missionaries are having us over for lunch.  It is a very pretty day today outside.  I can't wait to see when all the trees start coming out in bloom.  Well, that is about all there is for now.  I love all those that read this.  And I know there will be miracles on our path here in DC.

On The Road Again....

Sorry it has been so long..but we have been into some back country of the South and very busy and tired!  I have kept a long in Word since I didn't have an Internet connection.  So here is several days experiences...

10 February 2013

 

OK…Well, We have been on the road since early Thursday morning.  We have driven a lot of miles.  The first day was so beautiful.  The sky was blue and easy was the way.  We went through Price Utah.  The mountains were red as can be.  We stayed the first night in Farmington, NM.  The next night we stayed in Amarillo, TX.  It was neat to come into Texas, my home state.  Yesterday we drove to Shawnee, OK.  It was a short day because we were weary.  We try and stop about every two hours and walk around a bit and get some fresh water.  By the time we stop we are tired.  Yesterday it was raining and very windy.   We spent hours looking for motels down the road.  It is tedious indeed.  We have changed our path several times.  My cousin Shirley Joiner in Nacogdoches, Texas,  on my Godsey family line, sent some information about some neat places to stop in North Carolina and Virginia.  Apparently they are putting up some new headstones in c cemetery in North Carolina for some early Godseys.  And there in Virginia on Gwynn’s Island is where to Godseys were in the early 1600s.  Wow…to see where this family lived will be such a blessing.  The family line was blocked for so many years to me until I discovered the Grandmother’s real name of Arrissa.  These people are so nice.  I am so blessed to meet them.  Shirley says she has lots of information for me.

Chad’s family has been really sick with the flu these past couple of weeks.  Makayah is still sick.  Bless her little heart.  It has been such turmoil for them moving and having a sick family.  Our prayers are so with them. Jaden is picking up some.  I am proud of him.  He has had a major change in his life.  We called down the angels to support him and help him.  I love that boy so much!  Cambreea has been really sick also.  I hope they all get better soon.

Our three days in SLC at the Church Office Bldg. was amazing. We learned so much.  We got to see every step that these images that we will be taking go through to be on the computer to be searched.  It is amazing what the Church does to make these images the best possible.  But it doesn’t surprise me because it is the work of the Lord.  We got trained personally by the people in charge of this department.  They were so kind.  We trained in the software and the hardware of the camera.  We learned how to be very, very careful of the focus and pixels.  They scan every image that comes in, and they will return images for re-take.  The Spirit was very strong there.  They let us leave a day early because of a storm coming in on Friday.  We were certainly blessed by leaving that day earlier…the road has been made clear for us.  It is so testimony building.  We are excited to get to our mission field.

We haven’t been able to study the scriptures like we did last week and we miss that.  But we read the Book of Mormon each day.  When we are in the middle of nowhere, we have been listening to Gone with the Wind.  It is 49 hour book and we are about a third through it.  It is a good listen.

This morning at breakfast we got asked about our name tags.  I explained.  The gentleman ask if there was a church there in Shawnee.  I didn’t know but went to our room to check it out…nothing of the Church in Shawnee, OK.  I thought I had some pass-a-long cards, but couldn’t find them in the car…I know I brought some.  So I got a Book of Mormon out to give him.  He saw the book and said…”oh Mormons”.  I bore my testimony of Jesus Christ and his ministry among the Nephites.  He said he would read it.  He was real nice.  Now I don’t know what will become of that,  but I felt impressed to leave the Book of Mormon with him.  I wasn’t that hard of a thing to do.  I pray that the man will read at least part of it.

 

11 February 2013

We saw my sister yesterday.  It was a cool reception, but so nice to talk to her.  She doesn’t look very healthy and I worry about her.  She is just there so by herself.  She is so lonely.  She is always in my prayers.   We then drove on down to Maypearl, Texas to see my cousin Dave Hughes and his wife.  We called and told them that we would check into our hotel and then drive out to see them, but Dave was so offended at us not staying with them!  So we cancelled the hotel and accepted their hospitality.  They have a very beautiful home and made us feel so welcomed.  It was a nice visit.  We talked of family history and exchanged information.  Dave made us a wonderful breakfast and we sat and talked.  We left with a thought from the Bible…Malachi 3:4-5 about Elijah.  We then ask them if they would like a Book of Mormon, and they said they would!  So we chatted a little bit about it and bore our testimony.  I felt the Spirit there.  So we have placed 3 Books of Mormon so far…yeah!

We are now on our way to Nacogdoches Texas to see my cousin Shirley Joiner about the Godseys.  As we are driving through here, I see all these familiar town names that are in my family history!  It is so amazing to see where they walked and lived.  I am in awe.

We come in and out of phone service around our travels here in Texas.  There is just so much open space.

Our ward at home got a new Bishop yesterday.  It is Michael Dunbar, Brent Boyle, and Bro. Rhodes.  That should be a good thing.

12 February 2013

We had a most interesting day yesterday!  We got to Nacogdoches to meet my cousin Shirley Godsey Joiner.  She is such a really wonderful person.  Her husband is in the early stages of Altimzers.   They were just real fine people.  They took us to lunch and then we talked about family history.  It was raining so we didn’t go out to any cemeteries.   She has boxes and boxes and notebooks full of genealogy.  Her father was Raymond Godsey and his father was a brother to my great grandfather Samuel Godsey.  Raymond never knew much about his father as he rode away on a horse when he was real young.  He was an only child.  He ask his daughter, Shirley, to search and find out all she could of the Godsey family.  She took his request very seriously, and has searched all her life on the Godsey family.  She is even the leader of a DNA project on the Godseys.  They seem to have come from northern Germany where the Vikings were.  She had some old cards that my grandmother’s sister had written.  That really ties Henry Lee Godsey into my Samuel Godsey’s family.  She is going to make copies of this big notebook on the Godsey’s for me.  We were then invited to go out to her great granddaughter’s 15^th birthday party in the evening.  I tell you..we went now into the hicks to this party.  It was a family party with maybe 4 generations together.  It was down some old muddy roads…in the hicks.  They were Creig’s first meeting of some real East Texas hillbillies!  And hillbillies they were. There was this little old lady that came over to meet us and I put my hand out to shake her hand and she said flatly…”Honey, the Lord didn’t give me hands to shake but arms to hug”  and she gave me a big hug, and Creig too.  They all hugged.  Any family that is anyone’s family is their family!.  The teenagers and kids were all so very polite, they said “yes, Mam and no Mam” to all adults.  They were especially polite to their grandparents and great grandparents.  It was so much like home for me!  It was just delightful!  We got back to our motel about 9 p.m.  We were so tired!

We have just passed into Louisiana.  It is raining real hard.  We heard on the TV this morning that Amarillo is having a snow storm.  I tell you…the Lord has really paved the way for our travel!  It is such a testimony builder.  All ya’ll that read this know that the Lord is with us and we are safe. He is answering your prayers…please keep praying for us.

Oh, I wanted to comment on some pictures I saw of the Godseys.  They had really dark auburn hair.  

Oh, I wanted to comment on some pictures I saw of the Godseys.  They had really dark auburn hair.  They had the look of my father, and my Aunt Kathryn and my sister and my sister’s boy Matthew.  It is totally amazing.  Shirley looks a lot like my Aunt Kathryn and my sister.  It is just such a wonderful blessings to be able to meet these nice people…my kinfolk.

Well, we are in a real down pouring of rain!  I will type more later.

We passed into Mississippi during a down pour!  And crossed the Mississippi River!

We made it into Meridian, Mississippi about an hour ago.  We went to the motel we had reservations for and it was a dump.  We were tired of the dumpy motels of the past few days, so we went across the street to the Hilton Gardens and splurged!  Oh My, what luxury!

Training....

WOW!!! What a wonderful week we have had!  On Monday, we were divided into Districts.  There were four couples in our District.  Couple missionaries from everywhere going to all over the world to do all kinds of missions.  We were the only missionaries going on a records preservation mission.  There were couples going to the West Indies, Africa, Philippines, Spain, Ecuador, and all over the United States.  In our District there was the Campbells going to Huntsville, Alabama to do Member Leadership Support, Cornelius' going to North Carolina to work in the office, Checketts' also going to North Carolina to do Employment.  We had the best teacher, Brother Sillitoe.  He is just home from a mission.  And our afternoon teacher was another returned missionary, Sister Thomas.  She was so wonderful.

Starting Tuesday we began at 8:00 in the morning and had a devotional and then separated into districts and learned about the book Preach My Gospel.  You know, I had a copy of that book at home, but I never read it.  It is the most wonderful book.  We learned that to teach the gospel, we had to think of a triangle--on the top is the Godhead--on the left side is you as a missionary---on the right side is the investigator.  And our job as missionaries is to get that connection with God without us in the the middle.  The Spirit is what converts not us.  We have to get them praying to Heavenly Father and reading the Book of Mormon.  I wish I would have understood this with my kids.  I know that I didn't teach that to my daughter.  I wish I would have realized that is where I needed to work with her.  I needed to get her praying and finding answers from God.  And to teach her how much her Heavenly Father loves her.  To any parents I say, teach your children to pray and find answers from God , the Heavenly Father.  That connection with Heavenly Father is so vital in their lives.  I tried to teach my sons that, but I am not sure I did a very good job.  I am going to try harder and teach them how much Heavenly Father loves them.  And I am going to testify about prayer more.

We had to prepare to teach an investigator.  We had to learn to listen to the Spirit and teach what we learned from the Spirit they needed.  We did role play.  The first day we had an older couple married nearly 60 years.  It was very interesting.  We invited them to read in 3 Nephi:11.  We tried to bring up feelings that they mentioned as they camped out.  We tried to tell them that was the Spirit that was talking to them, that reverent feeling they felt.  We were not successful in getting the brother to pray.  But we did feel the Spirit with them.  the next day we were lucky to have another older couple.  They had already had a first visit.  We talked with them about the Book of Mormon.  the brother said that the other missionaries had told him it was a story about real cowboys and Indians!  He loved to read Louis Lamour.  However we were able to tell them that it was a sacred book about the Savior and His dealings with a people here on the American continent.  We were successful in getting the brother to pray before we left.  We thought that was a great success.  I learned something real quick...I need to know where the scriptures are that I need in teaching.  I have started a system of marking in color tabs.  Like my green tabs will be about the Restoration, and blue will be about  the Plan of Salvation.  that will help a lot.

We talked about our experiences each day and learned from them.  We got done each day at 4:30 p.m. in time for dinner.  Dinner....meals....what an experience!  The eating place is just huge and there are hundreds of missionaries everywhere.  It is awesome to be there.  The meals are mostly cold by the time you sit down to eat.  But they are good meals. 

We were told that in the 2 weeks we are here they will have 1200 more missionaries come.  We heard that they are going to convert the Helaman Halls into another training center.  They are really expecting a big wave of missionaries in the next few months.  This is going to change the world!  Watch the Work of Jesus Christ go forward as never before.

Next week we have to travel to SLC each day and work in the Church Office Building to learn about the cameras we will be using.  We aren't sure if we will try the train or just drive down.  They said we could be done by Thursday.  then we can head out to our Mission.  We are just so excited to get out in the mission field.  I remember the joy that Chad had in his face after the MTC when we saw him off to DC.  I wanted to have that feeling.  And I do now!  It is a most wonderful feeling to be a full-time missionary.  To be full-time in the service of Jesus Christ.  It is amazing!  We have learned so much.
We know this is where the Lord wants us right now at this time of our lives.  One couple in our District this is their 4th mission.  We want to be like that. 

This morning we went to the Temple and then to lunch.  We have rested this afternoon.  Well we are heading to dinner now.  Tomorrow is fast Sunday and we have Sacrament meeting at 7:30 a.m.  then a mission conference from 10-noon, then dinner at 4p.m. and then 2 firesides.  They have a special place for us couple missionaries to set at the conference and fireside.  They have treated us so wonderful.  We are staying in the Provo Marriott Hotel!  Fancy!  They had to convert some of the couple apartments for the single Elders and Sisters.  But we aren't complaining.

We are doing so well.  The Lord has really blessed us.  I caught a cold last week, but I am able to function and do good for all our training.  What an answer to my family's prayers.  Thank you family!

Oh...one more thing...they don't want the missionaries shaking hands so we touch elbows!