Last Zone Conference with President Christianson June 2013

Elder Poulson on our way to Zone Conference in the Sacred Grove

The Gathering Place at the Grove’s edge…

The President’s Assistants with our Japanese visitor, a new Mission President in Japan

President Christianson at the “Apostle Tree”

This tree is over 400 years old and is one of the several “Witness Trees” in the Grove. It once had 12 limbs reaching toward the heavens, hence the name. It is dead and the Grove manager does all in his power to keep it standing. There are only 6 limbs now, but you can see where the other 6 once were.

Elder & Sister Mueller sitting next to Elder Poulson, then there is Elder Howell and you can barely see Elder Hyen. Glad to have so many great people to work with.

Back in the chapel for afternoon session. Here are the amazing sister missionaries who were serving in our “home ward” the Canandaigua Ward. Elder Poulson got in the picture too and there is Sister Heyn right behind the young sisters.

Elder Poulson’s Work Orders

The work orders keep coming in and we keep working on them. One rainy afternoon I helped/watched Bill as he moved a couple of boulders from near the FM Office to the Temple President’s house

It required my driving our truck, Bill driving the company truck with the “tippy trailer” behind carrying the boulders.  Then we drove back to get the tractor and Bill drove it back in the pouring rain and I followed him along the roads with my emergency blinkers on.

The boulders properly placed keeps the mail lady from tracking mud onto the driveway each and every day as she makes a U-turn at the mailbox.

All part of a day’s work.  It reminded me of our boys playing with Tonka tractors in the sand when they were little. 

Elder Poulson does all the hard, dirty, wet work and I “support” him and cheer him on and sometimes tell him when to “drop” the rock.

Can you see Elder Poulson?  He’s weed whacking the tall reeds that grow along a creek bed in front of our bill board.            

There were red-winged black birds dive bombing us the entire time he was working.  Must have had a nest near-by but we never saw any baby birds.

Done

Here’s the company truck and the “tippy trailer” loaded with the first of several benches that Elder Poulson cleaned up and painted. They sit along the pathway between the log home and the frame home on the Smith Farm. This pathway used to be Stafford Road in Palmyra. The Church moved Stafford Road to the east to accommodate foot traffic on the farm

Here is Elder Poulson helping Elder Jay with a work order to repair all of the picnic tables used by the Pageant Crew and Cast during the month of July.  They removed rotted boards and replaced them.  The easy-ups are set up just south of the bowl and stage and used for crafts, and games for entertainment and for some rehearsals during the month.  They even hold a “Primary” for younger children who need something to do while Mom & Dad practice.

This is the outside of the stone fireplace in the log home on the Smith Farm.  Several stones near the top were loose and falling out and Elder Poulson replaced them.

And here he is, in his Sunday best, showing me the grate that he took up, cleaned and painted and replaced.  He also had to re-level the bricks around the grate.  This is at the Welcome Center at the Smith Farm.  We were here for a Zone Conference right after he completed this job. 

Earlier, we had taken a picture of a bench for the Church Historical Department and this grate appeared in that picture.  Our boss noticed that the grate was in need of fixing. 

The pictures we took were sent to the team working on the restoration of Harmony Pennsylvania.  They are building benches and fences to match the ones here on the Smith Farm. 

More of What We Do

Here is the log home on the Peter Whitmer Farm.  Elder Poulson repaired the fence you see in the foreground.  It is meant to be a display of 1830s fencing….not a climbing fence for children.  This was during the Pageant and you can see one of the “missionary positions” in the back under the blue easy-up.  This log home is built on the footprint of the original log home where the Church was organized April 6, 1830.  There is a special spirit on these grounds.

Elder Poulson built up a corner on the path near the stage on the Hill Cumorah during Pageant.  The actors were cutting the corner and getting scraped up.  I guess working on the dark paths in a hurry to get on stage can be hazardous.

Here was a labor of love.  It was a work order, but our Temple President and Elder Poulson have become fast friends and this is the pond at the President’s home.  It actually sits between the home and the Temple.  As the snow melted and the sun began to shine the pond became covered with algae or moss or whatever.  The entire surface was green like grass.  The President purchased fish and algae eating fish to stock the pond.  Then Elder Poulson repaired an overflow pipe out in the pond and then installed a pump that pumps air into the pond at two places.  Feeding oxygen into the water will help the algae decompose.  It’s helping and the pond is beginning to look great.  Can you see the bubbles out across the water?  There are actually two sets of bubbles.

This is the north-west corner of the Frame Home on the Smith Farm.  The roof drain was blocked and with all the rain we’ve had, it was causing a problem.  Elder Poulson tried several things and hopefully, it’s fixed.

This is the John Young home in Mendon, NY.  John Young is the Father of Brigham Young and Brigham helped him build this home.  There is another home across the small street and it’s said that is was originally part of this home and moved across the street to make another residence.  Both homes were in need of some paint repairs.  Together, Bill & I scraped and painted the bad spots on both homes.

What we do as FM Missionaries

We have problems with “varmints”….like woodchucks.  Here we have one that was digging under the cooper shed on the Smith Farm.  It was undermining the footings.  So an employee filled the hole with cement on our day off.  Elder Poulson covered the cement with dirt and grass.

Here is a leg supporting a very large butcher block in the thrashing barn on the Smith Farm.  It was just a few chews away from the whole block collapsing.  Elder Poulson made a brand new leg to replace this one and Sister Poulson painted it with a chemical to keep the “critters” away.

Then there are the sidewalks that seem to always need patching.  That’s right up Elder Poulson’s alley.  Here’s just one of the many patches he has done at the Hill Cumorah Visitor’s Center.

Somethings are pretty easy, like putting together these NO PARKING signs and placing them along the roadway leading to Angel Moroni on top of the Hill.  We placed them there during Pageant to keep vehicles off of the grass.

Also during Pageant, we spent a lot of time buying and spreading gravel in the parking lot used during Pageant.  We use very large grass fields south of the stage for parking.  We had so much rain that the fields were too muddy to drive on.  So, we dumped gravel in the low lying areas to keep cars from getting stuck. We have this little dump “truck” and a regular dump truck.  This one works great around the FM Campus

Some of our gravel work

Farewell to President & Sister Christianson

Farewell to President & Sister Christianson

Sad to see them leave, but happy for them to return to their family and we have another fantastic President in President Frances (pictures when we get them).

Trip to Harmony and the Surrounding Church Sites

All the senior missionaries were invited to take a trip to Harmony, Pennsylvania to view the Church sites in that area.  Harmony, now called Oakland, is where Joseph and Emma lived for a time and where Joseph translated much of the Book of Mormon from the gold plates.

The Church is beginning to rebuild the cabins along the Susquehanna River where Joseph and Emma lived and where Isaac and Elizabeth Hale lived.  Here are some pictures we took on our trip

The Susquehanna River where we held a meeting led by 3 CES teachers who detailed lots of interesting information to us in a pouring rain storm.

Even the umbrellas were of little help.

Joseph and Emma’s first baby died after only a few hours and is buried near the Susquehanna River in an old cemetery.

Original side.

Restored side.

Emma’s parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Hale were also buried in this cemetery.

Isaac’s tombstone, both sides

Elizabeth’s tombstone, both sides

We live on the Martin Harris Farm

The Church rents out the fields at the Harris Farm to a local farmer.  Last September when we arrived, the fields had soy beans growing.  This year there is corn.

Late spring just inches tall.

Last year the corn all across the country suffered for lack of rain. Not this year.

GROWN!

Corn everywhere last year was knee high.  This year, thanks to the rain, rain and more rain…..it’s over 8 feet tall this year….as high as an elephant’s eye, for sure.