Recently we went on splits with Brother and Sister Pieper.  Bro. Pieper and I visited Brother Wayne Crowe pictured above.  Only the priesthood go there because Brother Crowe, a single man, has 3 big dogs.  He got two out the door but couldn't get this big feller out.  The dog was not mean but just very hyper and hard to control.  He was big enough that he about knocked you down when he jumped up on you.  We had a great visit and then he had to get one of the mean dogs back in the house before we could leave for the car.  Just another exciting visit in rural Kentucky!

This is Sister Merlyn Francis, on of our very special shut-in friends that we try to visit every week.  She is 90 years old and has fibramyalgia.  She also had colon cancer and had most of her colon removed.  She can't be out much but loves to have us come visit.  We visited her last year in Morgantown and grew to dearly love and appreciate her.  After we left last year she had to go to a nursing home.  She was recently moved to a small nursing home nearby where we live in Hartford.  She has no family left but a sister-in-law and no friends yet in Hartford.  So we have been visiting her several times a week and taking members of the branch to meet her so she can form new friendships.  It has been a special privilege to be her surrogate family.

Saturday the branch had a service project of yard work for the lady between us, Sister Wilma Embry.  She is diabetic and has breathing problems from smoking many years in the past.  She tries very hard and does the best she can but needed a little help doing some cleanup on her property.  It was a great activity but we found out just how out of shape we are.  It was quite hot and not being used to working in the heat, we both got a little over-heated.  That night it was hard to sleep due to aching muscles.

Sister Embry wanted some overgrown bushes and small trees removed  and Brother Bryant in the red shirt, pulled them out with his four-wheel drive pickup.  The young man in the blue shirt is his son, Jordan Bryant, our branch missionary that is due to leave in two weeks to serve in the Washington Everett Mission.  He is a very special young man and will make a great missionary.

Brother and Sister Studd are a great young couple in our branch.  They lead the YM & YW in our branch.  Brother Studd is also the ward clerk.  He served his mission in the Idaho Boise Mission.  Sister Studd grew up on a dairy in a nearby area but hates cows.  The young man in the background is Dalton Chinn, currently the only young man in our branch.

Sisters Amber Chinn and Kelly Bryant, two of those who helped with the project.  Sister Chinn is the primary president and Sister Bryant is in the YW.  The Bryants lived in Morgantown last year but moved to Hartford after we left.  So we have enjoyed their friendship for both of our missions.  Kelly filled a mission to Texas and has been very supportive of our mission.  Often going out with us to find and meet new people.

The boss ladies, a dirty job but somebody's got to do it.  It was a fun project and we got a lot done.  I took more pictures of most everybody that participated but felt these were enough to represent what went on.  It was kind of fun to get a little dirty and sweaty for a change.

Elder and Sister Peterson - Laboring in a totally different way for a change

Our last Zone conference with President and Sister McKee before they were released.  All of the girls seated on the front row are their daughters except Sister Escobar on the far left.  It was a great conference but quite melancholy as we said goodbye to the McKee's.

This is the little Samoan sister I have written about before.  She really became attached to Sis. Peterson and would always come for several hugs when we came to zone meetings.  She was afraid she was going to be transferred so we had to get her picture.  She bore testimony at the end of Zone meeting and began by saying she had never spoke before so many white faces ever before in her life.  She is a real sweetheart and doing well even though she is very quiet and shy.

A beautiful large Mimosa tree near a home that we visit.   With all the rain we have had this year, the mimosas have been just beautiful.  Last year was very dry and they did not bloom much and just weren't as pretty.  This year you notice them everywhere and they are gorgeous.

One week later we had another Zone Conference with our new Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Andersen.  They are younger than the McKee's but have no children with them.  They are a really good young couple and I think will do an excellent job leading our Mission.  We will not have another zone conference before we head home so we had to bear our testimonies at this meeting.  All departing missionaries bear their testimonies at the last Zone conference before they leave.  It seemed strange to do so because we just past our hump day three weeks ago.  We have a little over two months before our six months are up. We have been busy and the time has flown.  We are starting to worry that we won't be able to finish all we would like to.

Elder and Sister Peterson - Havin' way too much fun in old Kaintuck!

Last Friday we met in a special senior couples conference.  It will be the last time we will meet with Pres. and Sister McKee.  They will be going home next week and we will be getting a new Mission President.  It was a great meeting and training.  There are 13 senior couples in our mission, which is the most there have ever been in the mission.  We met at the Mission Home and it is in the background.

One last picture with President and Sister McKee.  They are being released one year early because of Sister McKee's health issues.  She is much better but still weak and struggles with her heart working properly.  Recently she fainted and hit her head and had to have a pacemaker put in so she could keep going.  She is a wonderful lady and is truly a miracle in that she has progressed to be this well.

This week we took our district missionaries to Mammoth Caves for a district outing.  We had a great time and all of them enjoyed it even though 2 of them are challenged by claustraphobia like I am.  We went on a different tour that included the Fat Man's nightmare, where you have to squeeze side-ways through a narrow opening and an area where you have to bend way over to not hit your head.  We all made it, including Sister Peterson, even though it was a 2 hour tour and we had to climb 300 stairs!

Sister Peterson in one of the passages that was going to get low.  (Notice the look of anxiety on her face!)

Our group on one of the stair landings on the climb out.  Our tour took us down over 400 feet in some of the large rooms in the cave but the descent was fairly gradual.  Then we had to climb back out by way of all of those stairs through a narrow vertical shaft.  But you can tell by the smiles that we made it even though Sister Peterson and I had to take our time and many passed us as we stopped for breathers.

Proof that I was actually there.  The picture was taken in one of the larger areas where we had stopped to listen to information from our guide.  At one point during the tour, The guide shut all the lights off to show us what complete absence of light means.  You couldn't even see your hand held right in front of your eyes.  Then he had us all remain perfectly quiet so we could understand what perfect silence was.  He said that the complete absence of sound would get to us quicker than the blackness if we were left alone in the cave.  After that he lit a small bic lighter and it surprisingly lit up a the cave in big way in the perfect absence of other light.
Elder and Sister Peterson - Enjoying P-day in the largest cave in the world - over 400 miles long!

Elder and Sister Oakley from Dallas Texas came to visit for several days.  They served in Hartford last year while we were serving in Morgantown.  We became great friends and did many things together.  They wanted to return to their mission to visit us and see how the those they worked with were progressing.  We had a great visit and took them around to visit everyone.  I think it brought some closure to their mission and some satisfaction of the good they did.  Although Sister Oakley's health isn't the best, they are trying to decide whether to serve another mission.

The beautiful Mimosa trees are in full bloom now so we had to have a picture.  This one is in the yard of a family we visit every two weeks.  A single sister is the only member and she lives with her children and sometimes her grandchildren and also two aunts and now an uncle.  She is a wonderful lady with many challenges, but we love her and want to keep her coming to Church.

This is her uncle Larry, cleaned up and ready for a picture.  We love this family and enjoy visiting them.   They seem to enjoy giving us a hard time.  One of the first times we visited, they told us the canvas behind Larry covered their "moonshine still".  We've never dared look underneath to find out!  They tease us by saying their hillbillys and always say as we leave, "y'all come back now y'hear."

Our district now has 4 sets of missionaries including us.  This picture was taken in our Morgantown chapel this week after district meeting.  Starting from the left with the Elders in front:  Elder Thayne is from Bouniful, Utah.  He has been out 18 months and is our new District Leader.  Elder Shiner is from Fresno, California.  He has been out 5 months and is a very spiritual young elder.  Elder Miller is a real Idaho farm boy from Gooding, Idaho.  He does not like Declo because they always beat Gooding in football and he loves football.  He has been out 18 or 19 months and has been Elder Burton's trainer.  Elder Burton is from various places because his parents are in the service but he was called in North Carolina.  He has only been out a couple of months.  His call was to Brazil and he is serving here while waiting for his visa.  Sister Vercillo in back on the left, is from Centerville, Utah.  She has been out 5 months and went through the MTC with Elder Shiner.  Sister Toone is from Colorado and she has been out 3 or 4 months.  They are all great young people and we love serving with them and learning from them.

Elder and Sister Peterson - Happily serving and growing younger by the day around these wonderful young missionaries.

We are losing our prophet.  Elder Olsen on the left (who bears some resemblance to the Prophet Joseph Smith) has been our district leader, is being transferred.  Elder Earl on the left has been a Danish visa waiter and he finally received his visa and is headed for Denmark.  We have a new district leader with a new companion and we have a new area added to our district.  I forgot to get pictures but will include next post.

About 10 miles from where we live in Hartford is the little town of Rosine (about the size of Declo).  It is the birthplace of Bill Monroe who was the father of Bluegrass country music.  Nearly every Friday in this old barn, a country jamboree takes place with local musicians in his honor.

The Oakleys, senior missionaries we served with last year, came to town for a visit for several days.  We have been taking them around visiting everyone in the branch.  For an activity Friday night, we decided to have a picnic with some of the branch out to Rosine and take in the affair.

Because it was the anniversary of Bill Monroe's birthday, the Bluegrass jamboree was held in the city park so more could attend than could fit in the old barn.  We enjoyed some could old pickin' and singin' Kentucky style in the park.

Some of our group sitting on the grass and enjoying a pleasant evening.

Sister Oakley and sister Peterson with Betty Lindsey, a wonderful older stalwart of our branch.  We have been working with sister Lindsey and helping her with her genealogy.  She often comes to our apartment for Family Home Evening.

Brother and Sister Pieper, a very strong couple in the branch, he serves as a counselor in the Branch Presidency and as the ward mission leader.  We have breakfast in their home on Saturday morning before our correlation meeting.  They have been very good to us and we love them.  They were the hosts for the evenings activities.  Brother Pieper grew up in Rigby, Idaho.

There were probably 2 or 3 hundred in the park that evening, including these men.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of these two and they were willing to let me.  Shades of Duck Dynasty in Kentucky!

Elder and Sister Peterson - enjoyin' some real Bluegrass country music in Rosine, Kentucky

Recently we visited a part-member couple on the west side of Morgantown Branch.  The quickest way to our apartment from their place was to take the ferry across the Green River because it saved us about 15 miles.  So we decided to use the ferry even though Sister Peterson was a little nervous because the River is quite high and the ferry wasn't even working for several weeks because of the high water.  Here it is coming back across the river to pick us up.  Although the river isn't very wide, it is quite deep here.

On the ferry as we cross the river, the picture is taken through the windshield of our car.

Approaching the other side and exit off the ferry.  It was very quick and easy.  There are still three ferrys over the Green River in this county.  They are maintained by the county and free of charge.

I am sitting by Pete Smith, the stalwart of our Morgantown branch.  It is his 90th birthday party.  He is the oldest priesthood holder in the branch and has been one of the mainstays of the Church in this area, serving as branch president and bishop several times.  His family had a potluck party for him Sunday after Church.  Pete is a wonderful man and really does well for his age, but he is very, very hard of hearing.  We have to sit and yell at each other to converse but I really enjoy visiting with him.

Pete with his brother-in-law Joe Forsythe.  At 94, Joe is older than Pete but Joe is not a member.  Joe's wife Eva was a member and served many years in the Relief Society when the area was a district in the mission.  Joe is a good man though and for many years took the young elders where every they needed to go.  They are some of the great senior citizens of the area.

It was an enjoyable social and I had an enjoyable time taking pictures of some of the members of our branch.  Something I don't usually do when we are out visiting people.

On my left are Tim Phelps, Bob Estever and Bob Coots.  Bob Coots and is wife are former members of the branch that live in Bowling Green and often come to the area.  The other two are my choir singing buddies and I really enjoy them.   For some reason I didn't take a picture of our wives, probably distracted by the good deserts we were given.
Sayings on church marquees we have recently seen:
       Son Screen prevents Sin Burn
       Prayer is the best wireless connection

Elder and Sister Peterson - enjoying a Sunday afternoon social

Monday we have an all mission conference in Franklin, Tennessee, near Nashville where the Temple is located.  Monday is our usual p-day so we took some time Saturday to travel to Bowling Green and get medications and groceries.  Sister Peterson even went shopping and bought a skirt at TJ Max, so we really let our hair down.  This pawn shop is on one of the main roads we use near a hospital where we have visited some of our members.  We have always loved the name and wanted a picture and I had my camera along.  It seems quite an appropriate name for a pawn shop.

Bowling Green is about 40 miles from where we live in Hartford.  We travel the Natcher Parkway (Freeway) to get there.  Thick woods line the Parkway almost all the way and only break for a farm here and there.  With all the rain this year the trees and all the foliage is very lush and green.  It is so thick that you can't see anything except woods as you travel and it makes for a very beautiful drive.  (However it certainly pales in comparison to that beautiful drive between Sweetzer and Declo????)

Everywhere you travel in this area is so beautiful and green that we often comment how beautiful it truly is.  Actually everywhere we go to visit people is a beautiful drive.  This is an oiled road that we drive to a member's home.  It took it just to show how lush and green and how dense the woods really are here.

This is a farming area where they mostly raise grass hay.  We are on the highest point looking out over a large area.  Although there are many hills and hollers, the area overall is quite flat.  There are no larger hills or (mountains) to break the skyline.  There are no reference points to get your bearings and none of the roads are straight.  They just follow the ridges or hollows so it is very hard to keep your bearings.

Some more of the same area.  Notice how tall and lush the grass is.  The farmers are just starting to cut and bale these type of fields.  I wanted a picture of this area before it was cut.  All the hay is put up in large round bales and fed locally in the winter.  They pasture the cattle on smaller rougher fields and save fields like this for harvesting.

Everywhere we go we see large beautiful homes on very large acreages that are all mowed.  They may mow up to four or five acres around their homes.  There is enough rainfall that they never water their lawns so the only real maintenance is the mowing.  Big zero turn lawnmowers are the rage here and if I was in business here, I would want the lawn mower dealership.

A large, lovely old home with its large yard and grounds near where we live.  There are quite a few of these lovely old homes in certain areas of the city.

Sister Peterson preparing her talk for Sacrament meeting Sunday.  She worked so hard on it way into the night Saturday then when we got to Church, found out there was a conflict and she didn't have to speak.  But she will get her chance in a couple of weeks.  Our Hartford branch is so small that they only have a two-hour block of meetings.  Each meeting is shortened and only one speaker is needed for Sacrament meeting.  If two speakers were needed, the active members would get to speak every couple of months.

Meditation and park area that are across the street from our duplex and part of the complex.  Right in the middle is a garden area for the people in the apartments.  I could garden here if I wanted to!  However I feel we are busy enough trying to grow people spiritually.  Besides we can buy all the fresh produce we want from the Amish farmers.  Sister Peterson has already bought strawberries and made freezer jam.  It was a hit at District meeting and the Elders really snarfed it up.

Elder and Sister Peterson - enjoying a beautiful green part of God's creations!  (Remember we are actually not too far from where the Garden of Eden was)