July 27, 2015

This has been a very busy week with lots of travel and some unexpected service.  On Tuesday I was helping a sister work on her family history as she is going on a long vacation and plans to visit 8 temples and wanted family names to do.  When we took a break we happened to check Facebook and saw that Leroy and Eva Mae had been flooded badly from last night’s rain so we quickly had lunch, changed clothes and went over.  There wasn’t much we could do at first because they were waiting for the insurance lady but after she came we helped load the furniture they were trying to save. We took boxes of stuff that had to be moved that hadn’t gotten wet upstairs  It had all happened so quickly on Monday night.  They had to get the EMT’s to come and get Leroy and move him upstairs while they tried to get the water stopped.  It wasn’t just rain water but backed up sewer water from the faulty water system in Cannelton.  The Cannelton Mayor says it isn’t the cities fault and they won’t help them with any of the costs.  They have ended up having to tear out walls 12 inches up as well as the lower cabinets and her island in her kitchen.   It turns out that Leroy’s motorized wheelchair was ruined from the water so he isn’t able to go anywhere at this time.  These are the best sweetest people in the world and seem to  have one trial after another.

We left at 7 with Tim, Cheryl and Sydney to go to Carmel Indiana for the temple open house.  It takes nearly 4 hours to get there and with the time difference it was noon before we were there.  I had the wrong address for the temple and we stopped and ask at a station and got the right directions.  As we got to the temple there were people standing outside the gates handing out anti propaganda and we took their one handout not even thinking.  We had a wonderful tour of the temple.  Sydney just kept saying that she wanted to be there.  When they said the first endowment room was for instruction she said “if it is just for instruction can I please go to that part.”  She didn’t want to leave the celestial room at all.  It is such a beautiful temple with gorgeous woodwork and paintings.  We took lots of pictures after the tour and then left for home.  She was reading the anti-literature and getting very indignant about what they were saying and why they couldn’t just leave us alone.  For some reason the GPS started taking us north instead of south so we took off on a road but it turned out to be a good thing because we found a great little gyro place to eat.  We visited with the owner and gave him our card and told him about the temple open house.  It took us even longer to get home because of the stop and go traffic so we didn’t get home until 5:30.  We were both pretty worn out and knowing we had another travel day on Saturday just relaxed and worked on lessons when we got home.  It was a good day and just what Sydney needed.

We left at 9 for Louisville and with the time difference got there just about 11:30 so had some time to visit with the other senior couples.  It was good to spend time just visiting and comparing branches and the work we do.  It made me really glad we are in Tell city when I hear about Monticello only having 6 people to church some Sundays and Beatyville sometimes only has 15.  We at least average about 35.  Also those two towns are so far out and on such winding roads that it takes them 45 minutes to go 19 miles to get groceries.  We had a very nice salad lunch with ham and shrimp as well and just visited and each couple told of experiences and some about themselves.  It was good to meet the Carbine’s who are taking the Moulton’s place in the office. 

We then left for the temple where the seven couples made up the session except for one other sister.  We did all branch names which made it nice for the branch to get that much work done.  Most of it was on the Cunningham line.  I did Martha Anna Spicer’s work.  She was only married for a year when she passed away in 1893 probably in childbirth as they had a baby die in 1893 as well.  When I got to the veil the spirit was so strong and such a feeling of joy.  I know she, John Milton and their daughter were all there and thankful that this work is being done.  I can hardly wait to seal her to him and then seal Ada to them. 

We were able to find another less active and to meet up with a family we had found once before who now seem interested in learning more.  The husband was very active at one point but has let life get in the way.  We have a return appointment on Sunday.  The first time we were there I told the lady I would bring her a loaf of bread and she hasn’t forgotten that. 

The work goes on and the time continues to fly.  Every time I think of leaving these people I get a little emotional.  We have made such good friends who really do feel like family.  Our Stake President told us last Sunday that we could solve that by just moving here for good.  I would miss my grandkids and kids way too much.

We are both just so thankful for the opportunity we have had to have this experience.  Nothing can compare to it.

We love you all

Elder and Sister Fullmer

Amy—congratulations on that new grandbaby.  He is adorable. 

Robert & Connie—were you by any chance in Indianapolis on Friday.  We passed a semi with a load of pigs and wondered.  It made us think of you anyway.

July 20, 2015

July 20, 2015

The highlight of this past week for me was the temple trip that I took with some of the sisters from the branch.  We have been working very hard to get names ready for the temple and last
Wednesday 8 of the sisters and I went to the temple.  We were able to do 121 baptisms( 37 family names), 40 initiatory, 6 endowments and a number of sealings.  The best part of the day was that one sister did her sisters work, one did her grandmother’s work, I did a man from our branch’s mother’s work, one sister did her aunt and the other two sisters did aunts of another sister.  Our newest converts did baptisms for their grandmother’s and great grandmother’s so it was a wonderful productive day.  We are hoping to do more research so that we can have another such day before we leave to come home.  Most of the sisters have really caught the vision of family history and we are working hard to make sure they are comfortable with the family search program so they will continue after we are gone.  Evan took the Elders to appointments and then had coordination meeting with our branch mission leader while I was gone.  One of the blessings and opportunities of being Senior Missionaries is that we are able to help just where we are needed and don’t need to be together at all times.

We attended another Baptist funeral this past week.  It is such an interesting experience that makes me even more thankful for knowing what I know about the life after this one and the comfort it brings. 

This week is so scheduled that the time is going to fly.  We are going to go to Indianapolis to the temple open house this Friday and are hoping to take Sydney and her mother and possibly one other lady.  Along with Zone Conference, a Senior Missionary temple day, visiting teaching, some of our regular appointments and helping a sister do some family history before she leaves for her extended trip in which she hopes to visit 8 temples, it is going to be a very busy week.

We just had Family Home Evening at our house and with 13 people in our little living room it made for quite a crowd and we laughed so hard at some points that we were afraid the lady next door might call the police on us.  We certainly do have a good time when we are together.

The water has started to go down in the Ohio a little so the threat of flooded roads has abated somewhat but as I type I listen to the thunder and watch the lightening.  The thunder here seems to roll on forever.  I do love the rain but we are feeling a little water logged.  It also makes for very humid days and it is hard to be out in the heat for too long without feeling as if another shower is needed.

The gospel is true so what else matters.  We know it, we love it and we are trying to show by our example what joy it brings.

Love

Elder and Sister Fullmer

July 13, 2015

July 13, 2015

Dear one and all.

Not much different has been going on this past couple of weeks.  We have had so much rain that we thought for a while that we should build an ark.  The days it hasn’t rained have been so hot and humid that we wish it would. 

We had to buy a car as our air conditioning went out of the old one and it was going to cost so much to fix it that we decided to look for something new.  We found something that will meet our needs and has many fewer miles than the 298,000 miles that the other one has.  We still plan on bringing the old car home as we won’t need the ac while driving home in October or for several months when we first get home. 

We got a new Elder this past week on transfer day.  It was another of those really long days as we first took our Elder Stewart to Jasper where he will serve in a trio for another 3 weeks until his one companion goes home and then two weeks later his other companion goes home and he will probably get a greenie to train.  We got 16 new Elders this transfer and get 14 more next transfer so a good number of missionaries are training.  We then went to Louisville to pick up Elder Jessen who is from Orem Utah and has been out for 6 months.  He was awfully quiet for the first few days but is now opening up.

We have a sisters temple day planned for this week where 9 of the sisters from the branch are going.  Some will be doing baptisms, some initiatory and then hopefully the time will work out that we can do a session.  We have done a lot of family history and the excitement is high especially with our two newest converts.  This will be the first time they have been to the temple and they are both doing family names.

We found a lady we have been trying to contact since we got here and had a very nice visit with her.  She joined as a young lady but has since gone to the Catholic Church because her husband will go there and she wants some kind of church in her life.  When she lived in a different town she said the missionaries were always at her house.  We will be able to see her more now as she has lost her job and isn’t really looking very hard for another one.  She showed us her father’s Book of Mormon and the very old pamphlets he had from when he joined the church many years ago. 

As I was reading in Ether this morning it really struck me as to how much our world is sounding like what was going on during that time with all the contention that is happening.  We each need to stand up and speak out for what is true and right.  We have the fullness of the Gospel and know what joy it brings us and we need to share with everyone we meet.  Never be afraid to bear testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel.  We both know it is true and are so thankful for that knowledge and the peace it brings.

We love you all

Elder and Sister Fullmer