This blog entry is without pictures which I will add later.
There were 17 in attendance as our meetings had been canceled due to the weather. The branch presidency was there to have a brief sacrament meeting in case some members didn't get the word.
We sang a sacrament hymn #184 "Upon the Cross of Calvary" text by Vilate Raile (1890-1954) and music by Leroy J. Robertson (1896-1971).
President Stanley presided and conducted our brief meeting. He called on Elder Medina for a spiritual thought.
Elder Medina spoke about Elder Neil Anderson's talk from last October's general conference. He related the story of the 21-year-old concert in Brazil. He hoped to go on a mission but his mother was ill with cancer. He promised her to care for his siblings. At age 23 he read 1 Samuel 15:22 and realized that he should go on a mission. He had some money for his siblings but still not enough to go on a mission. Miracles took place enabling him to have sufficient funds for a mission. Years later he was a stake president in Brazil.
We had a little Gospel Principles class in the mother's room as we had a young investigator couple with us from Jasper. Elder Rumsey taught about the love of our Heavenly Father. Elder Twitchell cited Romans 8:35-39. We talked about how Heavenly Father has loved us and blessed us. Elder Twitchell cited Mosiah 2:41. Elder Rumsey talked of the blessings of Family Home Evening. Elder Twitchell played a video about FHE he found on the Internet. Sister Chester shared a hymn "The Love of God" by Frederick Lehman.
We gave the Rumsey's about 4-5 pieces of beef (London broils and pot roasts) as I am cutting way back on my beef consumption after reading about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and one of the two loaves of whole wheat bread that Eileen made. NAFLD is the most common liver disorder in developed countries. Up to 80% of obese people have the disease.
We got lots of packing done for our trip. We got the sewing machine AND table from the green room in the basement into the back seat of the car for William and Erin.
We visited Bill and Kimberley Kazy and their daughter Jessica.
During supper we watched the David Suchet special about the early apostle Peter.
I finished reading the December Ensign to Eileen. I enjoyed the First Presidency message "Make Time for the Savior" by President Thomas S. Monson, "Living as a Witness in Germany," "Returning Home Early from My Mission," "A Witness of the Savior Jesus Christ" by President Boyd K. Packer (1924-2015), "Be at Peace" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Christmas with the Dombrowski's," "A Christmas Hug," "I Made a Commitment to God," "The New and Everlasting Covenant" by Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy, "The Last Sacrament Cup," "The Sacrament and Spiritual Growth" by Elder Melvin J. Ballard (1873-1939) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Hold On to the Light," "Joseph Smith Did See God" by Elder Joseph F. Merrill (1868-1952) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the six stories of "Latter-day Saint Voices," and "The Real Christmas" by President Howard W. Hunter (1907-1995).
On Monday 25 January I went to the dump so trash wouldn't be in our garage for 3-4 weeks. We finished packing and left home at 10 am. Our odometer was 124714.
We stopped at the quilt shop in Jasper for them to work on Eileen's 16x16-inch quilt square that she made which she wants to put on a pillow.
Then we filled up at Ingles. It was $1.559, 20 cents off with my discount. It would only be 10 cents in Blue Ridge!
We stopped at Hallmark in Canton as Eileen had a coupon to use and hit three greeting cards.
I filled up in Lanett, Alabama, for $1.559. The temperature was up to 59 degrees, so we took off our jackets.
We reached the Clarion Inn in Gulfport, Mississippi, about 6:15 pm. Our odometer was 125191, so we drove 477 miles today. We had dinner in the Clarion Bistro and the gal who staffs it said "yes" to my two Book of Mormon questions.
We got a phone call from a fellow in Phoenix, Arizona, who had found our birthday check to Sean!! Apparently Colleen had the check with her cash and dropped it when she took her cash out of her wallet. When Eileen called her she didn't even realize yet that she had lost it. When she didn't see it with her money, she thought she had left it home. We got her before she started searching for it. Whew!
Ben did the 34 B's in Derbyshire. Eileen did the 64 B's and 1 C in Gloucestershire.
On Tuesday 26 January we had an excellent breakfast at the Clarion Inn and left about 8:30 am. The gal at the front desk said "yes" to my two Book of Mormon questions.
We filled up for $1.489 at Walmart.
We made a pit stop and filled up again for $1.399 at Walmart in Baton Rouge!
The rain made driving pretty bad along I-10. It was a horrendous drive in lots of rain and road spray from the trucks! There was a fatal crash on I-10E in Louisiana with a 7-8 mile backup.
We made a pit stop at the Atchafalaya Welcome Center.
Later we filled up again for $1.499 at Love's in Baytown, Texas.
We arrived at the Comfort Inn in Columbus, Texas, about 5:15 pm. 125658. We enjoyed supper next door at the Los Cabos Mexican Grill.
I finished the 22 November issue of the Church News. I enjoyed “Church leader calls for peace” with President Uchtdorf, "120th Anniversary Gala Concert Celebration of Church's presence in Russia dating back to 1895," "Rising from the ashes" about the new Provo City Center Temple, "Chinese-speaking members, missionaries help after Boston Fire," a new stake in Ghana, "Witnesses of the Book of Mormon" from the Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, and 'The words we speak' by Sister Carol F. McConkie of the Young Women general presidency.
On Wednesday 27 January we left about 9:30 am. About noon at mile marker 518 was a bad accident on I-10 W that may have had a fatality.
We filled up at Pilot in Junction for $1.699. Ugh! Later we filled up at Love's in Fort Stockton for $1.699.
We arrived at the Quality Inn in Alpine about 5:15. We enjoyed supper at Los Jalapeños. This Quality Inn was back to the lack-of-quality standard. How sad! 126149.
Eileen ordered a bed set for Liam for his birthday with the "Cars" theme.
Ben did the 25 C's in Derbyshire. Eileen did 43 C's (so 44 in all) and 22 D's in Gloucestershire.
Ben did a lot of research in FamilyTree for Kathleen Ashbey and emailed it to her.
On Thursday 28 January we left Alpine about 8:45 am and drove through very desolate country for an hour-and-a-half to Van Horn.
We filled up at Circle K in El Paso for $1.679.
We got to Safford about 3:15 pm and hunted for the Comfort Inn as neither the map app on the iPhone or our GPS knew of the street address. We saw our next palindrome of 126621 and we reached the hotel at 126623. We found the wrong Comfort Inn in Thatcher and got directions to the right one in Safford. They are identical. The desk clerk in Thatcher said "yes" to my two Book of Mormon questions. The desk clerk in Safford, however, knew it was an LDS book and said that she had read it.
We enjoyed supper at the Copper Steer Steakhouse in Safford. Afterwards we had sugar-free frozen vanilla yogurt with toppings at Yotagious Frozen Yogurt in Thatcher.
On Friday 29 January we left at 9:35 am. We got four gallons at Fry's in Globe, Arizona, at $1.749. The gas prices are higher in West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona that in the South. We arrived at Colleen's at 1 pm and the odometer was 126777. The trip covered 2063.7 miles. It took about a half an hour to unload the car.
I saw all the family file cards that Colleen got from the Farr's when she dropped off the 90 that I had sent her to do baptisms and confirmations with Sean and Spencer. Now we have lots of sealings to do!
We went shopping at Fry's. At 3:20 Colleen and the boys arrived home.
When Colleen dropped off the 90 family file cards at the Farr's, they gave her all the ones that they had completed through the endowment ordinance. I checked all of them to be sure that all of the ordinances were entered into my PAF database and they were. Now we have 27 male and 16 female sealings to do.
After supper I did the 19 D’s in Derbyshire. I worked on my 5 July blog, sent a Jacquie Lawson retirement greeting to Lynn Nielsen, and emailed Brenda Rose in Derbyshire.
On Saturday 30 January we visited William, Erin, and Weston to drop off the sewing machine and table we brought from Georgia. Then we stopped at a nearby Kohl's to exchange my sandals that she had ordered online but were the wrong size. However that store was the only one in the area without the size I needed!
Later we went with Colleen and the boys to Tempe Diablo Stadium's parking lot to view the 25th Arizona Military Vehicle Show.
We went to another Kohl's and after a lot of digging found the sandals in my size. I exchanged the ones Eileen had ordered online.
We went by Walmart and I ran in for several things.
Colleen and Sean went to a ward get-acquainted dinner as their ward recently split. We watched the boys.
I sent the Kids Ferst newsletter to Ferst Foundation.
Eileen did 13 E’s, 11 F’s, 20 G’s, 29 H’s, 3 I’s, and 9 K's in Gloucestershire.
I finished posting photos to my 5 July blog and republished it.
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