Heat Wave

Dear Family and Friends,

Winter is over!!! Lol. We wish, but we have had a nice break the last few days of the week with temperatures in the high 40's. We are looking forward to more of the same this week and we will happily accept it.

Some big news on the mission front. July 1 2015 the Rapid City, South Dakota Mission will become the North Dakota Bismarck Mission and the boundaries will be the same as the Bismarck Temple district. That means the area the mission covers will be somewhat smaller than it currently is but it is still a good size geographical area. Along with that the Mormon Handcart Historic Sites have become a new Mission of their own. They are now the Wyoming Mormon Trails Mission and instead of a Director  now has a Mission President. Elder Bushman has become President Bushman. All of us are super excited with these changes. The Mission includes Martin's Cove, Sixth Crossing and Rock Creek Hollow.

Monday Sister Patti Busch invited us to dinner and to watch the movie Maleficent. We always enjoy spending time with Sister Busch and she makes a delicious chicken enchilada. The movie was fun...no car chases for Elder Lindsey but enough action to keep him happy.

Sister Busch and I

Wednesday's ARP classes continue to go well and as the word gets out more people are showing an interest in joining us. Good people showing a lot of courage as they work to change their lives.

Thursday morning we headed to Rapid City. Elder Lindsey had a doctor appointment on Friday and we wanted to visit some sites on our way so we headed out early. Our first stop was to the Minuteman Missile Museum. 

This is the first step in a fascinating two site tour.

After the tour at the main building we followed our tour guide to the actual site of one of the missile control facilities.

 Four miles west we came to the bunker site where the crews lived as they kept everything in readiness for possible firing of the missiles.

This is the interior of the capsule 31 feet under ground where a two person crew did 24 hour shifts in readiness to fire the missile if needed. 

This artwork is on the outside of the massive door to the capsule.

We found the tour faciniting. Our tour guide was a retired Air Force Col who had worked at the facility when it was active so he knew what he was talking about. 

From the missile site we headed to the Badlands National Park to view them with the winter snow dusting the hills and valleys.

It was so beautiful!

The Big Horn Sheep were out in force and quite content to have their pictures taken.

After checking into our motel we headed out to Mt Rushmore to enjoy this beautiful National landmark without crowds of people. We were able to tour the museums, watch the films and even get a snack without waiting in a single line and it was wonderful. We even took pictures without having to wait for people to clear the areas. 

We had never seen the monument lighted so this was a real treat.

After seeing the sights at Mt Rushmore we headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant East of Utah...On the Border. We shared steak fajitas then headed back to the motel for the night.

Friday morning we went over to the Mission office to visit with the other Senior missionaries. We are surrounded by wonderful people in Rosebud but we do miss that association with the other Senior Couples that we enjoyed at Martin's Cove so it was nice to spend a little time sharing experiences. 

When we left the office we headed out to get the car washed then went to visit the Berlin Wall Memorial Park. 

Elder Lindsey next to a large piece of the Wall.

Next we wandered downtown Rapid, had some lunch then because we had a bit of time to spare before Elder Lindsey's doctor appointment we went to the Journey Museum. It houses the story of South Dakota from prehistoric times to present day.  

Elder Lindsey almost lost his head!

Everyone who comes to Rapid City visits Mt Rushmore but there are so many other interesting and fun places to visit I'm glad we had an opportunity to explore some of them.

Elder Lindsey's doctor appointment went well. He's doing great and is now starting the process to wean off the final doses of steroids. We have been blessed to receive excellent medical care while so far away from home. Our drive home was uneventful...but long and as always it's fun to travel but there's no place like home...or motor home!

Saturday morning we did chores and in the afternoon I attended a baby shower and Elder Lindsey spent time with the new Elders who will serve here in Rosebud every other week. We are very excited to have Elders here as are the Branch members. 

After Branch Council today we along with the Elders had a teaching appointment. We are teaching three young women who come to church but who have not yet been baptized. Today we focused on Jesus Christ and how he has blessed our lives. After the teaching appointment we took the Elders to St Francis and introduced them to a young lady who wants to be taught. We were able to set up a teaching appointment for later this week with her. Elder Lindsey and I are excited to work together with the Elders in teaching these great people.

After three months of laying the groundwork and wondering if the work is ever going to take off here in Rosebud we finally are seeing things move forward and that is exciting! 

Our love and prayers are with you all,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Bears Hibernate

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday started with another blast of very cold arctic air. We had an appointment to get the oil changed in the car so headed into Mission in the morning. After some other errands we headed home to hunker down. In the afternoon we exercised by walking  in the church and after that we ran the vacuum and did a little clean up. We are beginning to understand why bears hibernate!

Wednesday we had another successful ARP meeting. I am perfecting my fry bread recipe for our lunches and am getting positive reviews for my efforts.

On Thursday Sister Barker and I spent some time in the morning cleaning and organizing the Relief Society Closet. My friend Jan sent a box of flannel and as a Relief Society service project we are going to make blankets and quilts for the hospital to give out to newborns.

We are excited to get started! Thank you Jan for thinking of us.

Saturday the weather and the roads were clear and we were ready to get out of Dodge so we went to Pierre. A year ago we never would have believed that we'd be willing to drive for 90 minutes to see a movie or have Mexican food...or visit Walmart but that's what we are now willing to do on occasion for a change of scenery. First order of business was to get the car washed. It gets so dirty and it's too cold to turn on the outside hose, not to mention we don't want to turn the parking lot into an ice skating rink. Next we went for Mexican food and after that we explored downtown Pierre. We found a boot pad (a place to put wet snow boots) to keep the carpets dry when we come in and take our boots off. We were thinking of getting a cookie sheet when we discovered they really make such a thing.  Next we scored at a thrift store with a brand new Carhartt quilted vest for Elder Lindsey for only $29.95. New they run about $100. I picked up a couple jean jackets for $6.50 each. We just love a bargain!

After our shopping success we headed to a movie. We saw "Unbroken". It was really good, but somewhat hard to watch. After the movie we headed to Walmart for groceries then made a quick stop at the Mcdonalds drive thru for dinner on the road. It was a fun P day and just what we needed after a long week of being cooped up.

Today at Church Elder Lindsey was asked to talk about our experiences with home and visiting teaching. He told about our three families that we home taught for over 15 years. He told of some of the sweet experiences we had with them and how they have blessed our lives. It made us miss them! We both have a testimony of home and visiting teaching and I feel strongly that it will be through these wonderful programs that this Branch will go from a Branch to a Ward. Good home and visiting teachers will go out, bring the spirit into the homes with their messages and love the families back into activity.

 After church Elder Lindsey taught the last lesson for the Temple Preparation class to Annette. This is a follow up lesson where we talked about ways to keep the Temple in our lives. One of the wonderful blessings of being in Rosebud has been our association with Annette. She is an amazing woman and she works hard to bring the blessings of the Gospel to her family. She reminds us of Lehi in the Book of Mormon when he partook of the fruit of the tree his first thought was to look for his family to share it with them.

This week was a little hard for us because with the severe weather...especially when the wind blows the snow it is not safe to be on the roads and people don't want to be out so we weren't as busy as we like to be. We will have warmer temperatures this week so that will be nice and already our days are starting to fill up.  

We send our love and prayers to each of you,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Happy New Year

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday morning once again arrived with new snow and very cold temperatures. On Saturday when we went to Valentine we found Elder Lindsey a pair of Carhartt insulated bib overalls and boots that will keep his feet dry and warm and they came in very handy.

Finally it won't take the rest of the day to dry out his boots and warm his body.

We managed a quick trip to the post office and were especially happy we did when a special package arrived.

Our friend Thelma makes the best almond roca!

Tuesday was Relief Society and what a good time we had. It was the annual white elephant gift  and cookie exchange. We played a game where after everyone chose and opened their gift we passed around two pair of dice and if you rolled a double you could exchange your gift for someone elses gift. There was a lot of good natured teasing and laughing but in the end everyone went home happy with a nice gift. The cookies and other treats were delicious and visiting and getting to know the sisters better was nice. At one point we all said what we were thankful for this year and it was humbling to hear the sisters talk about their trials and triumphs and the different ways in which Heavenly Father had blessed their lives.

We had 17 sisters attending...a record for us!

Wednesday was our ARP class. This week we had a woman come who had seen the announcement of the program in the local paper. It takes a lot of courage to walk into a meeting with strangers and we were so happy she chose to join us...especially on New Years Eve when so many have a hard time staying clean and sober. We enjoyed vegetable beef soup and fry bread after the meeting. 

In the evening Annette and her niece Mattie and nephew Memphis took us to our first powwow in St Francis. It was so interesting and fun. The Lakota tradition is to feed their guests so dinner was provided at no charge. There was also no charge to get into the powwow. The money to put on these events is raised through items they auction and raffle off. 

This cutie knew how to dance!

We loved the costumes and that these children are retaining important parts of their heritage.

After the powwow we arrived back home to find the New Year's party at the church in full swing. Many people came as this party is know in the area as the place to be for lots of fun without alcohol. There was volleyball and board games and tons of great food and for us another chance to meet more people from the community that we don't see at church every week. It was especially nice that Beth who was new at our ARP meeting that morning brought her mother and joined us for the party. Elder Lindsey and I called it a night before midnight but we did listen to the fireworks at the magic hour. 

We spent New Years Day relaxing, doing some needed chores on the home front and working on getting rid of our colds! 

Friday we took a ride to Murdo and visited the Pioneer Auto Museum. Because of the snow and icy conditions we could only see the first three buildings so we will make a trip back in the spring to see the motorcycles. 

I took this picture for Ernie.

The Love Bug!

This one gets 100mpg

Saturday we had our ARP training meeting. We do this by computer/phone on the first Saturday of every month. This Saturday I was asked to give the spiritual thought. I will share with you what I wrote. 

Courage

Last Wednesday just as we were starting the sharing portion of our meeting a woman entered the church came in and introduced herself as a recovering addict. She had seen the notice of our meeting in the weekly paper, in fact she had seen the notice for three weeks in a row and on the third week she got up the courage to walk through the door and introduce herself to us as a recovering addict.

That is what I want to talk about for just a minute; courage. In Deuteronomy 31:6 we read; be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them for the Lord thy God he it is that doeth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

As we and the people that attend the ARP classes have the courage it takes to attend and participate in the recovery process we truly will learn to “fear not” and we will learn that our Savior Jesus Christ is with us and will always be with us.

It is through having the courage to take the first step, then the second and so on through the twelve steps that we will come to know our Savior and the love he has for us.

It is through having the courage to give up our addictions and go through the repentance process that we learn the meaning of the atonement and can have the power and blessing of its effect in our lives permanently.

Yes it takes courage to walk through our door the first time…and sometimes even the sixth time but that one step will build in us the courage we need to enable us to live Christ centered lives.

It took a lot of courage for Beth to walk through our door last week and it took even more courage for her to bring her mother and come to our New Year’s Eve party that night. Just as it took courage for Daryl and Crystal to spend New Year’s Eve home with their children watching movies instead of partying but each courageous step they and we take each day toward living Christ centered lives brings us closer to the blessings our Heavenly Father is waiting to share with us.

After our training meeting we headed out to White River to pick up Bountiful Baskets. It was our first and hopefully our last opportunity to drive in what they call out here a "low blizzard". The wind blows and the snow is driven across the roads with such force that it is almost impossible to even see the lines for the lanes. We stopped at the Allen's on the way back and arrived in time to help pull Tronson out of a snow bank. He was on his way to pick up his dad because his truck had slid off the road in Mission. Treacherous conditions. We just might be hibernating for the winter!

Sunday dawned clear and cold, cold, cold! Church warmed our hearts as we had two of our less active members come with their families. Life on the reservation is hard and it takes strength and perseverance for our members to live the gospel. Many have testimonies of it's truthfulness but face great obstacles in getting to church on a regular basis. We just try to love them and let them know how much we miss them when they can't be with us. 

It's a new year and we are excited for the adventures that lie ahead. 
Our love and prayers are with each of you,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Merry Christmas

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday morning the family had breakfast with us before taking off to Utah. We got some cute pictures but in my defense they were taken before shower, make up and hair care so don't judge me too harshly...lol!

Kati, Zach, Jacob Jenni, Jim and Tyson and Parker in the front.

Five of our eleven favorite people in the whole world!

All too soon it was time to say goodbye. It was such a fun visit for us, there is nothing better than family visits while on your mission.

A couple hours after the kids left it started to snow and soon we had our very own winter wonderland. It was supposed to snow off and on all week so it will definitely be a white Christmas.

I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon cleaning the church. It was such a blessing to be able to use the space as a place to gather with the family.

We sent a plate of Christmas treats with the kids to take to our friends at Martin's Cove and they sent me this picture. While we served together we talked a lot about our grandchildren so it was nice that they got to meet a few of them.

Tuesday is always laundry morning at Sister Barker's house. Both Sister Barker and I had our crock pots going with soup which Elder Lindsey and I braved the roads to take to a funeral being held in Mission. On our way we stopped at the post office and were surprised to receive a huge box from our friends the Davis family full of clothes, coats and blankets. We are putting everything to good use, filling boxes to be delivered tomorrow. We are so grateful to our friends who have sent things. The postage is terribly expensive, something we didn't realize before but the sacrifice is greatly appreciated. It finally stopped snowing about 3:00pm after coming down for about 30 hours straight. Elder Lindsey worked on the sidewalks so we could get in and out of the motor home and the church.

He cleared the way so I could get in the motor home then got out the snow blower!

Wednesday was a very busy day. I started out by getting the treat plates ready for delivery.

Next I made fry bread for our Indian tacos we were having for lunch after our Addiction Recovery class.

Usually we have soup after class but since it was Christmas Eve we celebrated!

After the ARP class and lunch Elder Lindsey and I headed out to deliver our plates of treats to friends from the Branch, and people we are working with. We had five stops in Mission, three in Rosebud and two in St. Francis. Lucky for us the roads were clear and the skies were blue. When we got back home I made the mashed potatoes we were taking to the Barkers for dinner and whipped the cream for the two chocolate pies...now that's a picture I should have taken. They were beautiful and delicious!

We had a lovely evening joining two other couples for dinner plus the Barker family. It was a full house but a lot of fun. The children played while the adults sat around the table and laughed and visited for a couple of hours. 

Me and Savannah. I gave her her first taste of chocolate tonight...she LOVED it!

We ended the evening watching one of the Tabernacle Choir's Christmas programs on the BYU channel. 

Merry Christmas! We continued with our Christmas tradition and Elder Lindsey made us omelettes for breakfast.

They were delicious!

We spent Christmas day relaxing at home. It snowed all day so we didn't even step outside, just enjoyed watching it fall from the cozy warmth of our little home. We snacked, rested, read, watched TV and talked to family (the best part of the day...we miss them all!). For dinner I fixed grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. All told it was a lovely day to rest from all the hustle and bustle that is this season of the year.

Friday we managed to make it out to the post office. We were invited to a party but because not all of the roads were cleared yet it was postponed. That actually worked out well for us because Elder Lindsey has a cold and wasn't feeling up to doing a lot. He did spend about an hour in the morning clearing the walks around the church and our motor home. Thank goodness for four wheel drive or we'd never make it out of the parking lot. It snowed lightly for several hours but is supposed to be clear and cold the next couple of days before snowing again on Monday.

Mother Nature has added her own decorations to our Christmas wreath.

Saturday we escaped the motor home and drove to Valentine, Nebraska for an outing. We did a little shopping at Shopko and a western store, had lunch at McDonalds and went to see The Hobbit at the only movie theatre in this part of the country. On the way home we stopped at Subway and used  one of the gift cards Sister Busch gave us for Christmas and brought a sandwich home for dinner. It was a fun day.

I had a really neat thing happen to me at church today. Last night Raymond stopped by to see if we'd like to purchase another one of his hand made wooden Native American flutes. We have purchased a couple of these in the past and they really are quite beautiful and sound wonderful when played. This time we told him we were out of spending money and so couldn't buy the flute. I didn't think anything more about it until sitting in Sacrament meeting when I got the strong impression that we should have bought the flute. So I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer asking Heavenly Father to have Raymond return to the Church so that I could buy the flute. Now I expected that Raymond would show up at our door sometime in the afternoon but instead after the closing prayer I stood and turned around and there he was sitting on the back row of the Chapel. Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers and because of that Raymond has gas money for his car and I have a flute which will always be a visual reminder to me of the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives.

We wish all of you a wonderful New Year. Our love and prayers go with you always.

Elder and Sister Lindsey

Family

Dear Friends and Family,

Winter arrived Monday morning with snow and ice and very cold temperatures. Snow in South Dakota is different than in Utah in that snow doesn't fall here...it blows. That means some spots have very little snow while others like the door in front of the church, our front door and anywhere we park the car has  large drifts of snow. Also because of the wind and blowing snow it was a no drive advisory day. We did venture out to get the mail and then I spent the afternoon in the church baking. I needed a new supply of muffins since I serve muffins and soup after our ARP classes. I also am doing Christmas baking and candy making so we can take plates of goodies to Branch members and some of the less active members we are working with.

Tuesday we got a huge surprise when we went to the post office...packages! Our thanks to Fran and Howard Holfeltz for the fleece blankets which are going into Christmas boxes we are putting together for a couple of needy families. Another thank you to the members of the ward who sent us a little box of goodies. We feel your love.

Wednesday was our ARP meeting and this week the focus was on hope. The hope that Jesus Christ brings into our life when we despair of ever truly being the person we want to be. The hope that when we fall today that tomorrow will be better. The hope that is in our hearts that no  matter our challenges and sins the Atonement of Jesus Christ can make everything right again. After meeting we had social time around the table enjoying taco soup and muffins. We love our association with the people who participate in these classes.

Saturday was our Branch Christmas brunch and Nativity. We had a great time. I made French toast and the branch provided ham and others brought, pancakes, waffles, fresh cinnamon rolls, donuts fruit, juice and hot chocolate...a virtual feast!

Mary (Averi) and Joseph (Tavian) with baby Jesus (Colton). 

We just love these kiddos!

Saturday afternoon we prepared for Jim, Jenni and the kids to arrive. It is a long trip from Mattawan, Michigan and we were thrilled that they were able to visit us on their way to Utah for Christmas. They arrived about 10:30pm and after dinner (spaghetti and garlic bread) we took them over to the Barker's where they took over their basement. We can never thank the Barkers enough for putting them up for the two nights they were here. There are just not any motels close by so their hospitality made this family visit possible.

Sunday was wonderful. Zach gave the opening prayer in Sacrament meeting. Kati gave a beautiful talk about Christmas in the Ukraine and the ways in which the missionaries tried to bring the true message of Christmas to the people they came in contact with. We also got to hear her bear her testimony in Russian. Then the Primary children (including Parker) sang two Christmas songs. They did a wonderful job! Jacob spoke next. He talked about keeping Christ the focus of Christmas. Kati and Sister Gilson did a wonderful piano/violin number "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel" By this time we were about bursting our buttons we were so proud! Jim was the last speaker and he too made us proud. He started by telling everyone that he was the favorite child because he came to visit....actually more importantly he brought the grandchildren to see us! He talked about memories of Christmas and what really matters at this time of celebration...family and the memories we make with them. Jenni then gave the closing prayer. Way to go family...we love you!

We had a traditional Sunday dinner in the church, pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad and vegetables. We invited the Barker family to join us and Sister Barker made her wonderful rolls. For dessert we had apple pie and ice cream.

Family time is the best...for us this was Christmas dinner!

The kids table. That's parker in the green shirt.

After dinner and clean up the Barkers headed for home and everyone else headed to the motor home where we put the couch down and spread out and watched a couple movies and visited.

Zach found a comfortable spot on the floor!

 Parker found his spot.

Jim, Tyson and Jacob stretched out.

Kati tried to stay awake for the movie but that chair is just too comfortable!

We never imagined we could fit nine people in the motor home and be comfortable but we did and we were. It gives us a lot of joy to spend time with family, especially the grandchildren. We love them all so much and are so proud of the people they have become.Our poor Tyson wasn't feeling well and by tonight was running a fever so his dad and grandpa gave him a blessing before the family headed back to the Barkers for the night. We will have breakfast together in the morning before they head to Utah.

We wish all of you a wonderful Christmas. We love you.

Elder and Sister Lindsey

I Love to See the Temple!

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a productive and blessed week. On Monday after we cleaned the Church we got the Christmas tree out of the storage shed and got it set up in the foyer. It now awaits the young women who will decorate it before our Branch Christmas breakfast that will be held on December 20th.

Wednesday we had our first participants in the Addiction Recovery Classes. It was a spirit filled hour as we talked about the principle of honesty in our lives and how it can aid us in recovery from addictions and in our relationships with family, friends and our Heavenly Father. After the class we drove to St. Francis to make contact with a referral. We met with  a young woman who had been taking the lessons while she lived in Bismarck and who we will now continue to teach....just like real missionaries!

Thursday we worked around the Church. I did some deep cleaning of the bathrooms. Sweet Sister Barker told me today that every time she walks in the kitchen  she smiles and feels happy at how nice I keep everything. We also got a big thank you from our facilities maintenance man who was making his monthly rounds last week. The role of Senior Missionaries is different and more varied than that of the young Missionaries and often in these remote areas of the Church the active members need the love and support we provide as much as the less actives and non members we also strive to serve.

Friday dawned clear and beautiful and Elder Lindsey and I left early and headed to Bismarck, North Dakota to attend the Temple. We took Sister Patti Busch with us. Brother Busch passed away suddenly last Spring and Sister Busch is a faithful, stalwart member who is always reaching out  and serving others. The people in this area love and admire her and have wonderful feelings about the Church because of Patti and her husband and their kindness and the love that they have shown to everyone through the years. It was fun for us, the three seniors in our little Branch to have time together.

Elder Lindsey and I at the Entrance to the Temple.

It is a five hour drive so after arriving we checked into our hotel, rested for a couple of hours then went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and arrived at the Temple in time for the 5:45pm session. It felt so good to be back in the Temple. To go from weekly attendance to not attending for nine months because there are no Temples close to where we have been serving has been hard. Bismarck is one of the smaller Temples but the spirit there is huge! Both days we were greeted at the recommended desk by the President and Matron who were so excited to see us. We had met them the week before at District Conference and they greeted us like old friends. It made us feel so loved.

After the session on Friday we made a stop at Walmart before heading back to the motel for the night. The next morning we hooked up with the Barker family and Annette at breakfast and Elder Lindsey took Annette and Laura to the Temple since they had to be there by 9:00am for the 10:30am session.

Sister Barker (Laura) and Sister Fool Bull (Annette)

What a blessing to share this special day with Annette and many members of our small Branch. When you go to the Temple with someone who is going for the first time it gives you an opportunity to reflect on things through their eyes. The tender mercies of the Lord were with us and continued after the session when Elder Lindsey participated as four of our young men did baptisms.

There is a peace like no other that comes by being in the Lord's house.

After the Temple we were very mindful of our five hour drive home so we did a quick drive through at McDonalds and got on the road shortly after 2:00pm. We dropped Patti at home about 7:30pm and were in our jammies by 8:00pm!

Because of District Conference last week today was our Fast Sunday. As you can imagine after our sweet experience at the Temple yesterday the testimonies were heartfelt and strong. The most wonderful thing about serving a mission during the Christmas season is that you spend so much more time focusing on the Savior who is the only true reason we are celebrating. It is a blessing we wish for all of you.

Our love and prayers,

Elder and Sister Lindsey

District Conference

Dear Family and Friends,

This week started off busy then we got a hitch in our "git up" but recovered to end the week with a very busy two days in Pierre at District Conference. Monday Annette who we are teaching Temple Preparation to invited us over to her apartment to meet with her sister Angel. We took the DVD of the Mormon Message "True Christianity" that Elder Lindsey is in and shared it with her and then talked about what it means to be a Christian. Angel told us that she'd been sneaking Annette's Book of Mormon to read so we gave her her own copy.

On Tuesday we went back to Annette's to teach her the last Temple Preparation lesson before she goes to the Temple on December 13th. Angel was there and had question about some of what she'd read in the Book of Mormon so we spent some time answering those. We look forward to teaching her.

Elder Lindsey and I both battled colds this week but by Tuesday afternoon I was down for the count and didn't really feel human again until Thursday. I'm not sure why we say "oh, it's just a cold" when they can make you feel just miserable! Since I rarely get sick anymore I guess I can't complain.

We are decorated for Christmas! I love the reflection of the tree.

Saturday morning we headed to Pierre for District Conference. We ran a few errands before going to the church for an activity the Missionaries did with the Primary Children while their parents attended training meetings. It was fun but wild!

We managed to get a group picture with most of the children and a few Elders and Sisters.

Elder Lindsey helped by holding Savannah Barker

In Rosebud we have four babies under the age of six months and they all have siblings so all the parents have their hands full and it is not unusual for me especially to have a baby in my arms. Today one of the Senior Sisters from another area said "Sister Lindsey everytime I see you another mother is handing you a baby!" I told her we have an abundance of babies in Rosebud and my arms are needed!

The Church building in Pierre has a full size chapel and cultural hall but only has classrooms on one side of the building so is still smaller than what we are used to at home. It was fun though to be in meetings where the chapel and overflow were full. President Allen our District President has great vision for this District to grow from Branches to Wards and from a District to a Stake. We feel very blessed to be just a small part of that vision. President Anderson presided at the Conference and as always gave good counsel. How blessed we are to have him as our Mission President, we learn much from him every time we are able to listen to him speak.

 Because so many come from so far the Relief Society served dinner Saturday afternoon and lunch at the conclusion of the conference today. The food was good and plentiful both times and it gave everyone a chance to visit before heading home. Today we also had a special opportunity to see "Meet the Mormons" and it was just as touching the second time around. We will be very excited when we can purchase the DVD and show it to our less active and non member friends.

After the movie most of the Rosebud Branch went over to the Capitol to see the Christmas trees. They were beautiful. 

My favorite Christmas Elf!

It was so pretty, it certainly put us in the Christmas frame of mind!

We have ended our Sunday like many of you I'm sure, by watching the Christmas Devotional. What a beautiful and Spirit filled way to end our wonderful weekend. The Devotional, for us, is always the official start of Christmas.

Our love and prayers are with each of you,

Elder and Sister Lindsey