Reason d'etre for being in Pennsylvania is the blessing of Amy Jane Forry. Sara asked me to be a wise man for the primary lesson today. Small groups of primary children came into rooms where people represented and talked about the people and events of the birth of Christ.
Dinner at Sara's included Abby and family, Sara and family, Elder and Sister Chadwick, Amy and Summer and Barry and Eileen Swavely.
The Forrys
Three Generations
With the grandparents
The oldest and youngest grandchildren
Mostly I made beef stew for dinner tomorrow but in the evening we went to the Lancaster Ward Christmas party. We got to catch up with people and see how all the children had grown.
We've planned a lot for today in Lancaster: Getting my glasses repair. Shopping at Central Market and Save Mart. And a trip to the temple in DC for Sister Chadwick and do an endowment session for her sister. I haven't mentioned that Amy (oldest daughter, not newest granddaughter) and Summer (oldest granddaughter) have joined us for California and Georgia respectively. Abby meet us and left her car at Save Mart.
We scheduled the temple trip to start as a snowstorm left an inch of snow and wet, salty roads between Lancaster and the Temple in DC. We made it in time for the last session at 8 PM. The patrons in the session consisted of Sister Chadwick and I, three daughter, one granddaughter and one other couple. It was wonderful and neat to be in the temple with our progeny.
Lights at the visitors' center
The Washington, DC temple
We set aside today to be with Abby's kids. We took the twins, Ezra and Enoch, Ben, and Phebe to Fuddruckers for lunch.
Phebe, Enoch, and Ezra with Ben in front
Then we took Josey, Anna, and Tabitha to lunch at the Chocolate Grill. (They live in Hershey, PA—the sweetest place on earth according to the sign as you come into town.)
Josey, Anna, and Tabitha
Here is Mary, Abby's youngest, with her new cousin, Amy Jane Forry. We've come to Pennsylvania for her blessing.
Anna holding Amy Jane with Mary looking on
We also need to arrange for storage for some of our stuff Abby's been keeping for us. Do you know there are two 2990 Elizabethtown Road addresses around Hershey, PA in two towns but within a few miles of each other. Of course, we got the wrong one first. There are three 2290 Elizabethtown Road address also. I put that in the GPS first.
We are approaching the end of the year with a $4200 surplus in the housing budget. Elder Jensen suggested we spend it before the end of the year. Monday I ordered two washing machines, five dryers, and ten vacuum cleaners from Sears. I put in the wrong billing address.
I get a call from Sears security and an email stating I have 72 hours to correct it. You can read what Tuesday was like and the Jensens have an equally crazy schedule on Transfer Day so we weren't able to address the Sears issue but it wasn't even 24 hours yet. Today I got calls from at least four different people at Sears security and two of the orders got canceled. So much for 72 hours. It took virtually entire time I had before we left for Pennsylvania just fixing all of it. I am not impressed with the way Sears handled all this and begin to understand why their getting their pants beat off by other retailers.
One last task before we leave. I bought a suit from Macy's on line and took it to a local tailor, Genesis, to have the slacks and coat adjusted. It was promised to December 12th. I get their and the lady couldn't find the suit. The hanger had broken and the suit was lying on the floor under a rack of other clothes. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. I really had wanted to be able to take the suit with us.
The drive to Atlanta and flight to Baltimore are uneventful. The drive to York to Sara's house is in a snowstorm with snowy roads. Instead of an hour and a quarter, it was over two hours of travel but we got to York without incident.
Another Transfer Day. It's seems like we just finish one when another is upon us. Because a couple of companionships are being white washed, i.e., both elders or sisters are moving from an apartment, Sister Chadwick and I need to be at the chapel by 8:30 to get things ready including bikes, bedding and other stuff missionaries were expecting.
The first meeting is with the new (6) missionaries and their trainers at 9 AM. They come looking for bike and bedding a few minutes after 10. The next meeting is for missionaries getting their new companions and assignments. This doesn't take so long but by the time they get their mail and all of the luggage and bikes are moved from one vehicle to another, it's after 11.
The president has created three new companionships of three missionaries, Forsyth, Waynesboro, and Lanette. We're able to arrange for a third bed in Waynesboro to be moved from one trailer to another. We'll go to Forsyth and Lanette with beds.
The Forsyth elders are bike elders who have ask us to take them from Macon to Forsyth so I make them earn the ride by helping me load furniture: two beds (frame, box springs, and mattress), two dressers, and four chairs.
Forsyth is the first stop. We unload a bed, and a dresser. Since it's close to noon we take three sisters and three elders to a Chinese buffet nearby. We leave a chair for the Pine Mountain sisters. We leave a bed, dresser and two chairs in Lanette. And we leave a chair in Phenix City. Phenix City is in Alabama.
We get home after 10 PM.
We turned the heat on in the house for the first time this fall. Snow is predicted in the northwestern mountains of Georgia. Winter has finally arrived.
We traveled Wednesday and Thursday and stopped for gas in Statesboro, GA. The gas card in the pickup wouldn't work. The pump asked for mileage and vehicle number as it should but wouldn't authorize the card. I tried the other corporate card and the pump said to see the clerk. The clerk was Tina. She asked how much I wanted to which I replied, "Fill it up." She asked me to wait a moment while she served a couple of people items to purchase. She took the card out to the pump and as we were walked she said, pointing to my tag, "I used to go to that church." She got the card working and as I was filling the tank, she and Sister Chadwick were talking. Tina enjoying going to church but was working Sundays. Sister Chadwick told her about Marcus who was baptized last week to waited several years to be baptized because he was working Sundays. Tina talked about all of the sister missionaries she had known. She said she would love having the sisters visit again. The next time I used the gas card, it worked fine.
Sister Chadwick finished quilting today. The Macon Ward Relief Society presidency was grateful and came up to her during the Ward Christmas dinner gushing about how great it looked.
We baptized the brother of a member after the party. Both brothers are very large—the fourth try was the successful baptism. The baptism was scheduled for 6:30 to be over at 7 so that the office staff and President and Sister Grayson would have time to get to a production of The Beauty and The Beast at the Macon Theatre. I was playing the piano so was in for the duration. The baptism started late, it took four tries to get Marcus baptized, Bro Phillip then welcomed Marcus into the group in his own lengthy way. The rest of the theatre goers bugged out as soon as they could. Sister Chadwick and I walked into the theatre at 8:05 but got seated without a problem.
The lead, Belle, in the production is played by Kimberly Lochner, a member of the Perry Ward and the woman who assists Sister Grayson in the Mission Home with meals and housekeeping. She is active in the local theatre. She has an beautiful voice and considerable acting ability. She gave an outstanding performance this evening.
The scene in the library with the Beast
With the Beast, the Tea Pot, Clock and Chandelier. He's hard to see but the Tea Cup is in the cart.
A young single sister in the Macon Ward is a student at Mercer University and a member of The Mercer Women's Chamber Choir. This choir, The Mercer Singers, and The Mercer University Brass Quintet gave a concert at the St. Joseph Catholic Church presented a Christmas program adapted from the traditional Service of Lessons and Carols held yearly at Kings College, Cambridge University. Sister Jensen suggested the office staff go and support her. We did.
Craig McMahan, University Minister & Dean of Chapel read the lessons in modern English, Stanley L. Roberts conductor the concert and Jack Mitchener was the organist. The congregation (Several hundred—The church was filled.) was invited to join the choirs for several of the carols.
The music was tremendous. The choirs were excellent. The organ music felt like the whole building was rejoicing. Singing with the choirs and that many people was overwhelming and enjoyable. I was easily drowned out by it all.
MY first ever selfie. Sister Chadwick and I having lunch at a park in the south part of Macon. The coke can was left by someone else. I did put it in the trash.