Week 27     October 31, 2016                  HALLOWEEN 2016

PDAY IN WILMINGTON

Our three senior couples visited the Wilmington Broadwalk.

ELIJAH'S

We had a delicious lunch at Elijah's on the broad walk. I had the tuna steak sandwich and Lane had fish and chips.

MARTINS

Lane and I on the broad walk.

OSEY SAUNDERS

Elder Rawlins and Elder Arveseth with Osey Saunders who was baptized last week on Saturday. The Elders tracted Osey out and we were so excited that he has chosen to be baptized! We know he will be richly blessed following in his Savior's footsteps.

LANE AND ME WITH BROTHER OSEY AND JEFF HOLLIS

Lane and I with Osey Saunders and Jeff Hollis who assisted the missionaries in teaching Osey and had the privilege of baptizing him.

RELIEF SOCIETY MURDER MISTERY DINNER

Relief Society sisters gathered for a fun dinner and mystery murder. We were given clues to a murder mystery and had to figure out who the culprit was.

TRUNK OR TREAT

 
Our two missionaries really got into the spirit of Halloween by doing their own "Trick or Treating"!

STAR WARS COUPLE

Lane and me practicing sword fighting in front of the missionaries decorated trunk.

CHILI COOK OFF

Our ward had a chili cook off before the trunk or treat. It was fun fun fun!!

PIRATES AND PRINCESSES

The Bowman's in our ward hosted a fantastic Halloween party at their home. They certainly went all out with the decorations! There was also great food. This pirate at the entrance to the property advised you that you had found your destination. There was a whole front garden full of witches, ghosts and ghouls.

WELCOME

This gentleman was at the front door to greet the guests! They had skeletons dancing in a circle in the garden and a huge blow up slide/jumping castle for the kids. Everyone was dressed up for the occasion.

HURRICANE MATTHEW

Lane and me standing on the back steps of the home we were sent to help clean up. The members were divided into teams and sent to different homes affected by the flood waters from Hurricane Matthew.

LOST!

Mary, the widow who owns this home, has lost not only the home but almost all of her belongings. FEMA has offered her $6000 for her home! She had no flood insurance.

RUBBLE

This is what the roadway looked like in front of the house. Everything was dumped in a mountain of debris waiting for the city to come and collect it and take it to the dump.

MISSIONARY WORK

Once again we had a first hand view of where bad choices can lead one. We traveled down a backwoods road looking for an inactive member. Our GPS lead us to pull up in the drive of a treed property with a rather old home and a shed. There were a number of persons coming and going from the shed. Outside they had a large bonfire going. One of the men, an older man, made his way slowly and hesitantly to our car. With eyes barely open he asked what we wanted. We told him the name of the gentleman we were seeking. Lo and behold, he was IT. He was very friendly but one could see he was under the influence of something, not sure what! We chatted with this lost soul. He had not been active for many years and had been in and out of prison 8 times. He did not elaborate except to say he was currently on parole for cutting someone up real bad! We invited him to church but know the invitation fell on deaf ears. Such sadness in our world. It breaks your heart to see the path that some folks follow. A path that leads to unhappiness and incarceration.

On a happier note we witnessed Osey Saunders' baptism. What a wonderful time for him. He is going to be an incredible member of the church and has a strong testimony.

This past Sunday was different. We attended sacrament meeting then headed home to change into work clothes and then met back at the chapel. We were divided into teams and assigned to different projects where folks needed help cleaning up homes and properties damaged by the rising waters of the Black River which rose 22 feet as a result of Hurricane Matthew. Our team went to a little wooden house which had been under 3 feet of water. Mary, the owner, is a widow. She stood confused and devastated as we emptied her house of its contents and then started ripping out walls and floors. The rubble, consisting of plaster board, wood, kitchen sink, furniture, clothing, books etc was piled high on the side of the country road in front of her home. I heard that FEMA had offered her $6000 compensation!! She had no flood insurance. I am not sure what she will do, whether she will sell the property or try to rebuild. As we left after the cleanup, we drove home with a prayer in our hearts for Mary and the other folks who have lost so much in the wake of this disaster.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK (Courtesy of my granddaughter)

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)