Each Wednesday we have district meeting with the missionaries in our district.  There are six missionaries in our district, two senior couples and two young elders.  The young elders teach us couples our responsibilities and how to do missionary work.  They are very special young men and do a great job but it is like being taught by our grandsons.  We treat them like grandsons and feed they every time we can and provide rides for them to meetings so they can save their miles for their missionary work.  We met this week in the Hartford branch meeting house where Elder and Sister Oakley serve.  They are from Texas and both were nurses in their professional life.

These are our district leaders.  Elder Robison on the left is from Olympia, Washington and the senior companion.  He is an excellent elder and tries very hard.  He gave a wonderful lesson on Christ at our District meeting.  Elder Hamblen is on the right and he is from Meridian, Idaho.  He is also a great missionary and he checks on us often and tries to encourage us to get with the program.

Our district taken with a timed photo.  After district meeting we all had dinner with the Oakley's.  After dinner the Elders left for teaching appointments.  We stayed with the Oakleys for the afternoon and they taught us what they were doing and what worked best.  It was really great to visit with them.  Then we visited with a local member that has asked that we serve in an open house on child abuse that some of the churches in the area are sponsoring.  It will give us the opportunity to provide service as we are asked to do.

Today we spoke in Sacrament Meeting.  It seemed to go well.  We are getting more and more acquainted with the members in the branch as we meet with them and visit them in our homes.  Attendance at Sacrament meeting has been higher than usual, up around 90 for the last three weeks.  Some are attributing that to our being in the branch.  I doubt that but think they are just coming out to see the old potato farmers from Idaho.  I played on that a little and spoke on the parable of the potato.  It seems to work on this mission just like Caprise said it would.  Sister Peterson's bubbly personality and friendliness pulls them in and I do the preachin'. It worked that way today.  She did a wonderful job and I did the preaching.  

We are doing well and the members have been very good to work with.  We are visiting many and actually came across a young lady that said she would take the discussions.  We gave this contact to the traveling elders that come twice a week because they were looking for someone to teach.  We have plenty of visiting to do and we often teach part-member families.  It has been quite an adjustment to become missionaries in the real sense but it is slowly happening.  

We are teaching a young father who has been through several elders without  much commitment.  His real religion is hunting and fishing.  It is turkey hunting season here now so he had to show us his kill and his guns.  Fortunately I have a few hunting stories of my own and we seem to relate well.  I used a hunting story to teach the principle of obedience to law.  He did come to Church last week but came in his camo outfit straight from turkey hunting!  At least he did come to Church - maybe there is still hope.

Elder and Sister Peterson (Missing our friends and being called Brent & Vicki)