HAPPY EASTER!

As with General Conference weekend, there’s really nothing we can say to add to this very special day.  And we certainly don’t want to detract from it.  We have spent the week visiting with, and TRYING to visit with, the less active people in our Branches. Those who have let us in, we have shown the Church’s 2020 Because of Him Easter video, and born our testimonies of Christ’s Resurrection, and what that means to us.  I loved the thought from the First Presidency Christmas devotional of a few years ago:  I don’t remember who said it, but he talked about how Christmas would mean nothing if the Atonement and Resurrection hadn’t happened.  We have shared that thought.  Two of Craig’s favorite people in the world, Bruce and Marie Hafen, were the guests this week on the Follow Him podcast that we listen to weekly as part of our Come Follow Me study.  Elder Hafen said, “BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST WE CAN LEARN FROM OUR EXPERIENCES WITHOUT BEING CONDEMNED BY THEM.”  What an amazing way to look at the Atonement.  We are both so grateful for the role the Atonement of Jesus Christ has played in our lives, and are grateful we are in a position to share our testimonies of it on a daily basis.

No need for us to color eggs!
Betsy gives us eggs from her chickens, pre-colored!

A little update on the mission front:  We are still teaching Betsy, and she has a testimony of nearly every principle and commandment we have taught her.  She is in the process of rebuilding a torn-up mobile home to move into, and just does not have the time to buckle down and commit to baptism.  But we’re working towards that!  We also teach a fellow named Craig who lives 50 miles away.  He attends the Cedarville Branch (and was the only person from there to come to our Easter Program.)  He is a well-read student of religions, and we had a great discussion this week about his need to pray to know if Joseph Smith was indeed a Prophet and translated the Book of Mormon.  He’s a great guy – we pray diligently that both of these good people will take that first important step on the covenant path.  And we constantly pray to find more people to teach!!!  We know we have a message that could benefit everybody, but finding those willing to hear it has been a challenge.

But at least we can nourish the deer with a selenium-infused salt lick in our yard!

Remember when we came in January and it was balmy? 
NOW we're having winter - this week was freezing and snowy!