May 27-30, 2016

It has been a very nice last few days.  We have spent the 27, 28 ,29 at Palmyra with a Northeast Area YSA conference called "Gathering in the Grove."  We had 6 from our area attend.  We spent a lot of our time preparing and serving meals to over 250 Young Single Adults.  The Keynote speaker was the original rugby coach that was portrayed in the DVD "Standing Strong".  He was also a Mission President and a very good speaker. 
Everyone seemed to have had a lot of fun and were given Testimony building opportunities.  We would start at 6:00 am and get back to the Motel at 11:30 pm.  It was busy, lots of work and just awesomely wonderful.  This was our second time helping at the "Gathering".

Today 30 May we took one sister, who has been here awaiting her visa to Australia, to the airport for her 37 hour flight.  We also picked up a sister missionary from Brazil who is serving a Temple Square Mission and she will be here for two transfers.

Elder Brown taught over 160 visitors in 6 hours while we were at Alvin Smith's grave site in Palmyra.   Sister Brown helped and stamped their papers.  It was a great activity.  We had 50 or more come to see the grave site that were not participants.
 The Grave Site is really a sacred place and it was humbling to know that the Smith family had been where we were when they buried and mourned the death of their oldest son.  How grateful they were when Joseph received the revelation in section 137 of the D & C that Alvin was saved and that they would see him again.  This Gospel is wonderful and answers so many questions that so many only wonder about.

One of the groups that came through was our institute class from Fort Drum.  Two were the Anderson sisters, Victor a soldier and  recent convert, Jared a soldier and a member, Amy a doctor on  Ft. Drum a recent convert and one young non member soldier.

Speed dating opportunity at "The Gathering"  They seemed to really enjoy this activity.

Several of our Stake participants. Some of our soldiers had to leave early. that Sunday Morning.

A small ice cream cone.  The medium cones had a foot of ice cream above the cone.  We did not get to see what a large ice cream cone looked like.