We spent most of the week doing zone training but ended up doing the Blue Ridge parkway on the week end. We started out at the park visitor center where I bought a CD of mountain music and sounds from the mountains. We put that on during the 2 hour long car ride. It made it fun to her the sounds of rain, birds waterfalls and such as we drove along. The sounds of the birds is something that I will miss when we come home. There are many trees in TN so there are many birds that fill these trees with song. I love hearing the birds sing their songs in the morning. There are many different songs that each variety of bird sings. Spring happens to be the mating season so it is very noise at times. I wish I could send you some of there songs.
We will miss the trees and song birds. We thought that we would see the spring covering the ridge of the applacchian mountains as we drove up and along the 469 mile road that connects the Smokey Mountain National Park with the Shenandoha Park in the northern part of Virginia. We didn't relaize that spring might be in Knoxville and lower elevations but it has not come yet to the northern parts of the mountains. So we went but we did not see much as far as trees and bloomage. The trees had not leafed out yet. We will have to try again. We only stayed in the NC and TN part of the drive. It would take a long time to do the whole distance and the speed limit is only 35 the whole time. There are many visitor centers and camping areas and lakes to visit along the road.
When we got home we took a sister in our ward to the easter egg hunt. She is someone I visit teach and she has some mental problems from birth but she is about 40. She usually comes to church with her mother but has not come lately because her mother has been sick in body and spirit. But yesterday when we invited we also invited the mother to come and she rallied and came with her daughter. They both loved being able to be out and with the ward again. They are both converts of about a year. Anyway Erin loved the egg hunt and found many eggs only problem was she was in the toddler area looking for them. The toddlers didn't care. It makes you feel good to help someone have a good time or to feel good. So we saw that they both came to church today which is really the ultimate desire we have for them is to be in church. Stand in holy places always helps the future outlook on things seem better.
Another thing we did today on Easter Sunday was get up early and go to the top of a hill where we walk every morning and watch the sun come up over the trees. We sat at a picnic table there and shared some of our feelings about our faith in the Savior. How grateful we are for his life and giving up of his life. We have been thinking about what we should do next with our life. It is hard because we have only planned as far as a mission. So we need to plan more but how and what and when. This statement from President Nelson has come to me and I want to share it with you.
" When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him. When he can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life. You will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do." Easy to say hard to do. The focus of our lives has to be way different than mine is now. But I want to try and do better.
Reading about the Savior is a great start so dad and I have both started and have been reading Jesus the Christ.
We have much to learn and much to do before we come home but we do realize that our mission time will be ending.
Two last things we did and will do. We taught the Sunbeam class today. Whoa! it was a real learnig curve for both of us. It's just a good thing we had lots of fish crackers. We talked about the Sabbath. and how to get a Sunbeam to think of the Sabbath is beyond me. We told the Manna and the
Wilderness story and used marshmellows for manna and had the kids lay down and go to sleep while we put marshmellows on the floor by them. It was a stretch I know but it kept them with us. Otherwise they were under the table taking off shoes socks, trying to turn the lights off and on, throwing the chairs and writing on the chalk board. We survived however. Happy Easter to us.
We are going to the bishops house for Easter dinner that will be nice. Well we love you all and wish
you a joyous Easter today. Love Mom, Grandma and Sister Christensen
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| Dogwood Tree |
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| Blue Ridge Parkway |
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| Easter Sunday Sunrise in Tennessee |
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