February 24-March 9, 2014

Because we are serving a couple mission we are not restricted with our time and with the things we can do.  While Paul spends time planning his presentations Gail works on her genealogy.  For about 30 years Gail has looked for more information on Grandmother Yelvington's line.  In frustration she turned it over to her brother Bill.   She told him "Find Green Melton's wife and parents.  I am having no luck with this.  He was born 1778 in Scotland  but his children were born here in America."  Bill made a couple of trips to Georgia and to remote cemeteries but only confirmed what we already knew. Finally this week through a personal tree on Ancestry.com he found Susannah (no maiden name) who was Green's wife and the mother of Solomon, our ancestor.  She lived to be 96, outlived Green and a second husband as well. We found another of her and Green's children and possibly two.  Bill and Anne are doing all their temple work.  Gail is so happy and knows this is one of the blessings of being on a mission.  Susannah died in Joseph Melton's home.  He was her grandson and a nephew to Solomon.

Here is a picture of Joseph and his wife when they got married and also one when Joseph is old.  Gail wishes she had a picture of Green and Susannah or one of Solomon.  












We had a youth baptism trip to the Reno Temple last week with our Sunday School students and they were able to do 38 baptisms.  Paul and I are going to do the initiatories this week.  On the 20th of March the Elders and Sisters can do the endowments.  I love getting 40 endowments done on the same session because the room is full of missionaries doing our names.

Paul made a presentation in Carson City on the 6th for the Carson River Ward's Relief Society birthday party. Husbands were also invited.  He used his quarry tools and large pictures, including John's foundation drawing, and talked about the 40 years it took to build the Salt Lake Temple and why it took so long.  That ward has set a 2014 Temple goal for the members to get their family history back to 1850.

It's about a 35 minute beautiful drive from here to Carson.  We took the Smedleys, another missionary couple assigned to the mission office with us.  They took our place when the mission changed our assignment to serve as rescue missionaries.

Yesterday in our ward we had ward conference. Following the block the ward held a linger - longer with a pot luck dinner for everyone.  The leaders and missionaries were given a list of members to find-- members of record who had either moved; inactive; or who have left the Church.  We had 7 visits to make--only got to 3.  But we had the nicest visit with an older brother and his wife.  Jack is a real character--he reminded both of us of Gail's Uncle Jack in Florida.  This Jack has been a member for years. After a divorce from his first wife he became inactive.  He expressed how he and his current wife had talked about coming to Church.  We encouraged them and told them we would sit with them.   His wife seems willing although she is not Mormon.

Ashley made us some cute calling cards to leave at our visits.

Front

Back

One of the inactive students, Jerimiah, who is now attending, was approved to be ordained to be a Teacher on Sunday.  We wanted him to go with us to do temple baptisms last week but he couldn't.  He was oprdained a Deacon two year ago in another ward but there was no record of it  in the computer.  Young men need the Priesthood in order to do Temple baptisms.   So now he can go with us the next time in June.  That makes 3 males from our class who can pass the sacrament in our ward,  and two others in our class from the Spanish branch--a Deacon that pass and one Priest that blesses.

Our Stake is doing a trek this summer.  Jerimiah and his unbaptised cousin want to go so we took them to the registration meeting Sunday night. It will be good for both or them  so I hope they will follow through.  

Paul has been asked to talk to the youth of another stake about the pioneers, in preparation for their trek. We hope our stake invites him to do the same.