August 17, 2014

 This was another transfer week and they are always the best.  They are the busiest, but the best. 
   On Monday we had the new missionaries arrive about 4:30pm.  We go to the Mission Presidents home to have dinner with them and give them some training and get some needed information from them.  It is always so neat.
   On Monday afternoon, I go to Sams Club and Hanafords to get all the food for Tuesdays lunch.  We usually have 120 lunches to prepare every transfer.
   On Tuesday, we deliver all the food to the kitchen on the Manchester Ward building and with the help of the Manchester missionaries, lunches are prepared.  At 9am we, the office staff start new missionary training, while President Stoker has a meeting with all the new trainers. 

   The new missionaries shown above are, Sisters Crook, Dastrup, Davis, Eddingtin, Erickson, Harper, Olsen Tucker and Elders Pemberton, King and Johnson.  We sure love them and welcome them to the very best mission in the church.
   Then at 10am we all meet in the chapel for transfer meeting.  The going home missionaries always get a few minutes each to give their Golden Truth.  It always starts with, "On my mission I have learned this golden truth that will change my life forever ......."  I love each one and try to write down each one. 
   Then President Stoker introduces our new missionaries and assigns them to their trainer. Then the AP's announce all the transfers or

changes of assignments to new area's.  It is always so exciting for all the missionaries to see who their new companion will be and where they will be serving.  They then get with their new companion, grab a lunch and off they go to their new assignments.  It's not quite that fast as they love to mingle and talk with one another before they go.  But it is all good.
   The missionaries who went home are Elders Brown, Christensen, Lozano, Smith, Terry, Thomas, Wilson and Sisters Fratcher, Cowley, Keigley and Berg.  As you can see from the pictures to the left, they are our friends and we love them so much.  We will miss them but know they need to go home and get on with the rest of their lives.
   The high light of the day is our trip to the Boston Temple with these missionaries.  We always try to go to the 4pm session and then we have dinner in the Temple cafeteria afterwards.  It is so special!!
   Miriam and I are loving our mission and know that it will be missed this winter as we finish.  But we love being here and we are really loving this summer in New England.  Working in the office allows us to get so close to the missionaries and to be able to work with them.
   To day was a special day at church.  Sister Smedley gave one of the best talks I have ever heard on the Atonement.  She is such an awesome missionary.  The Bishop had the new missionaries in our area introduce themselves and give a brief testimony.  It was wonderful. 
   Sister Hout, who was baptized last Sunday was confirmed a member of the Church by Bishop Dickson.  She asked that I stand in the circle and assist of which I was honored. 
   We were asked on Saturday to get the moose(the mission van) and pick up two families for church that the missionaries were teaching.  We did, but none of the families came.  That's ok, we will just try again next Sunday.

August 10, 2014

    This week ended on a high note.  The picture to the left is Elder Warner, Gloria Huot, her nephew, and Elder Plyler.  I was privileged to be able to help teach Gloria with Elders Warner and Plyler.  She is a sweet lady and it is wonderful to see the effect the gospel has had on her already.  She asked me to speak on the Holy Ghost and I was privileged to do so.  She had Sister Collins speak on Baptism and she did a wonderful job.  She will be confirmed next week in Sacrament Meeting.  Miriam played the piano for the meeting.
   The next photo is Elder Keller and Christiansen giving Elder Wells a birthday cake.

                                                                                     It was fun.  I think he was embarrassed

 when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him.  The picture below it is a lunch activity at MLC that was held last Tuesday. 
   One of the duties we have as office staff is to buy, prepare, serve and clean up the lunches for all these missionary get togethers.  We sure do enjoy our association with the missionaries.  It is fun to serve them and just be around them. 
   The next four pictures are of us yesterday at The Flume Gorge in the Franconia Notch State Park in northern New Hampshire.  We and Pettingills have decided to try and go and see as much as we can of New England every P day we have this summer.  We ask the local people what they would suggest we go and see and this week end we got to experience two of them.
  It is absolutely a wonder the beauty that nature provides.  The gorge is right through solid granite and it is a wonder.  We had the most 

wonderful weather.  It was clear and about 78 degrees.  We couldn't of asked for better weather.  The walk through it was about 2 miles and we are sure glad we got to see it. 
   The bottom four pictures are of our trip later that day to the top of Mt. Washington.  We drove up through North Conway and up to the base of Mt. Washington.  It is the highest peak in the North East. The summit is approximately 6300 ft.  The road going up is narrow and at times I thought Miriam was going to just get out and walk.  I don't think I have ever seen her so scared.  She is fair skinned anyway, but she was white as a ghost when she looked over the side of the road and it was a long way down. 
   But we made it just fine and the weather at the top was sure different than it was below.  The wind was blowing and the temperature was in  

the lower 50's.  Miriam was the only one that brought a jacket.  The views were magnificent and I am not sure the photos do it justice.  But we had a blast, made it up and down without incident and it was a perfect day.  We were exhausted when we got home approximately 8pm. 
   Now were are ready for this coming week.  It is transfer week and for us it is always the busiest.  But we are looking forward to seeing the new missionaries come and those that are finished going home.  We go to the Temple Tuesday afternoon and it is always wonderful.
   The Word is great.  We are busy and wouldn't have it any other way.  We love the Lord and love serving with all the missionaries.

August 3, 2014

   We had an amazing week.  Monday was pretty normal with staff meeting and getting ready for our last zone conference.  That night I helped teach the first discussion to a young lady named Tiffany.  She was very interested and knew hardly anything of God or His works.  Her mother is in a nursing home and had found happiness in the Mormon Church.  She told Tiffany that someday some missionaries would come to her and when the did, please listen.  Elders Barnes and Warner tracked into her and now the teaching begins.  She seemed so receptive but cautious too.  I hope and  pray she continues to want to learn. 
   The pictures to the left are at the Montpelier East, West and Concord North Zone Conference.  It was wonderful just as all the others were.  The 2nd picture is of Elders Harper and Thomas giving Elders Farnworth and Gassant a birthday cake that they made and having everyone sing Happy Birthday to them.  It is amazing what the missionaries do for each other and I know they appreciate it and love it.  The weather was beautiful that day and everything was so green.  We went up to the JSM afterwards and viewed some drawings by Liz Lemon Swindle.  They were beautiful.  Then sister Stoker rode home with us as President Stoker had a lot of interviews to do.  We stopped in Concord and had a dinner at UNO's.

  Thursday I was asked to help teach a sister the 5th discussion on keeping the commandments.  We taught Gloria and she has committed to be baptized next week.  It always amazes me to see the faith in these wonderful new converts as they are asked to live the laws of tithing, fast, chastity, and others.  She is so poor and has nothing, but the desire to know Christ.  Her humble circumstances are definitely humbling.  I pray she will continue on in her investigation and journey in the Church.
  The picture to the left is of President Stoker and Elder Pettingill on Friday.  President Stoker called us and asked if we'd like to play golf and we were shocked.  We had asked him numerous times and he is always to busy.  We played at a wonderful course in Goffstown and we had a blast. 
 Early Friday morning, Elder Pettingill asked me to come over and help give Sister Pettingill a blessing before we went golfing.  She was having serious dizziness and head aches.  Miriam later took her to the emergency room at Eliot Hospital for tests.  She stayed until Saturday night and was released.  I don't think they found anything wrong.  The Pettingill's go home in 2 months.  President Stoker is having a hard time finding their replacements and we may have Elders coming in to do their work.  There is a real need for more senior missionaries.  President Stoker says the church has told him that there are 100 missions that need senior missionaries.  Wow!
   I took Miriam to Urgent Care Saturday as she was having abdominal pain.  We think she has kidney stones and they are moving and causing lots of pain.  We have found that we need to really take care of ourselves even when on a mission.  She is doing much better today.  We are glad we are in the U.S. and that the medical systems is as good as it is. 
   We have a busy week ahead.  We have two French speaking missionaries coming in tomorrow.  Fun, Fun.  The work goes on and we love it.

July 27, 2014

    This week we had 2 zone conferences.  Tuesday in Augusta Maine for the 4 zones in Maine, and Wednesday in Exeter for the 2 Exeter zones and the Concord South zone.  It is always a very busy time when we have zone conferences.  President Stoker has asked us to participate.  I taught a session on Provident Living and the use of these Sacred Funds.  Miriam taught a great lesson on teaching from the heart.
   We always have fun traveling with the Pettingill's.  They teach also and we have so much fun together.
   The eight pictures to the left are of the Sanford Days celebration in Sanford Maine.  The Church did this last year to celebrate Pioneer Day and the city so much liked it that they wanted to participate and call it Sanford Days.  

As you can see, there were a lot of booths with the different things pioneers did.  It is amazing how much work went into everything they did.  The missionaries had lots of fun and it was very well attended. 
   President and Sister Stoker were unable to attend as President Stokers father was in town and he was leaving this morning.  His father is in very poor health and President Stoker feels this may be the last time he sees his father on this side of the veil.
   The next four pictures are of us with the Pettingill's at the lighthouse in Portland Maine.  We decided to try and go see as much as we can every week end as our time here is closing too fast.
   It was the most beautiful day.  As you can see from the pictures we had lots of sunshine and ocean, sky and greenery was fabulous. 

    The bottom picture is of the Manchester Elders her for dinner.  Miriam prepared the most wonderful dinner.  We had Elder Plyler, Barnes, Warner, and Harrington.  Boy do the Elders know how to eat.  Miriam made plenty and with Strawberry Short Cake for Desert, nobody went home hungry.
   Elder Plyler gave us a lesson afterwards on the faith that is needed to have miracles happen in our lives. We reviewed 5 miracles in the New Testament and found that those that received these wonderful miracles needed only a particle of faith to be healed or saved from natures torments. 
   He then ask us to pray with this same faith tonight for our Heavenly Father to put someone in our paths that we can find and teach.  It was a wonderful lesson.

   We love the missionaries so much.  One of the blessings of working in the mission office is that we get to know so many if not all the missionaries.  We love them all. 
   We have one more zone conference this Tuesday in Vermont and then it is time again to  get ready for transfers.  This is the most work for Miriam.   It is hard to believe how much paper work there is to run the mission. 
   Our testimonies continue to grow and our love for the Lord gets stronger and stronger. 

July 21, 2014

   We have had the most exciting week.  It was pretty normal until Thursday when I and Elder Pettingill travelled 494 miles to inspect 10 apartments in the Augusta Maine North Zone.  We found them to be in real good shape.  The Elders and Sisters have really improved the organization and cleanliness of the apartments since our last zone conference.  The training and getting after them really paid off.  Good job zone.
   The pictures to the left are of the NH Fishercat baseball game last Saturday night.  It was LDS family night so President Stoker was asked to throw out the opening pitch.  As you can see from the picture he did an excellent job.  The missionaries set up a booth with lots of information to anyone who might be interested.  It was a lot of fun.

   We had a baptism in our Manchester Ward Sunday.  Brother Lahr's baptized his daughters boyfriend, Nathaniel St. Laurent.  We have really learned to love the Lahr family.  They are the ones that had us all over Christmas Day for breakfast and treats.  They are such great examples of what it means to be great Christians.  Elder Wells and Elder Zilles assisted in the teaching.  It was a great baptism.  I think almost the whole Ward attended.  The family is so well thought off!!!
   Then Sunday night we were invited to have dinner with the Lacey's.  The Lacey's are very good friends with the Pettingills and we were 

 invited to dinner with them.  It was so special. Sister Lacey prepared a New England steam dinner where she cooked shrimp, crab, sausage, corn and potatoes all in the same pot.  She then dumped everything in the middle of the table and we all sat down to a feast.  The picture to the left shows the steam coming up off the food just after it was dumped on the table.  It is a typical New England meal and it was wonderful.  Miriam made a chocolate cake and Sister Pettingill provided the ice cream.  We were all stuffed beyond measure when it was all finished. 
They attend the Derry Ward.  They have just become active after a long time away much to

help from the Pettingills.  Elder Gilbert (His mother and Becky Schlappi are sisters) and Elder Jensen are the missionaries assigned to the Derry Ward and I can't even tell you how much food they ate.
   The final picture is the Lacey's with the Pettingills and the missionaries.  What a fun night.
   It is times like these that make our mission so much fun along with the work.  There are such wonderful members throughout New England. 
   This next week starts a series of Zone Conferences that will keep us on the road and very busy.  We love doing the Lords work.  We are grateful for this experience even though we miss our family so terribly. 

July 14, 2014

   We had a first this week.  At the beginning of summer we sat down and started to make a list of the things we would like to do before our mission was over.  We have loved New England once summer came again.  The winter was unique and very beautiful but boy have we enjoyed having it warm up.  The trees are so green and the rivers and lakes are so beautiful it takes your breath away at every turn. 
   One of the things we wanted to do was go to Palmyra New York and see the Pageant.  We have been to Palmyra before and seen the sights, but it was not during the Pageant and we had heard how wonderful it was.  So a few weeks ago we asked President Stoker for permission to leave the mission to go.  We were pleasantly surprised when he said yes.

   The top picture is of Miriam and I in the Sacred Grove.  It was a beautiful day.  Warm, humid but comfortable.  It was such a wonderful experience again to feel the spirit in this special place.  It is just an excellent feeling to know that this is where God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith to usher in the Restoration.  It is so special.
   The second picture is at the Grandin Print Shop where the original Book of Mormon was printed.  That in itself was quite a feat. 
   The third picture is of Miriam and I at the Hill Cumorah just before the Pageant was to start.

   The fourth picture is Miriam and I with some of the actors.  These actors played the Prophet Abinadi and his family.  There were approximately 750 actors in the pageant.  It was wonderful.  We wish that every investigator could see it as it gives such a good overview of the Book of Mormon.  It started at 9:15pm and concluded at 10:30pm.  There were over 6000 people there to see it and I understand there are that many every night is shows.  It was wonderful.  I am so proud of our church and so appreciate all those that gave of their time and talents to put this wonderful show on.

   This last picture is of Elder and Sister Pettingill with Miriam at the top of the Hill Comorah.  We had such a great time with the Pettingills.  They go home from their mission October 3rd and we are sure going to miss them.  They are so much fun to be with.  They had seen the pageant before but went with us to see it again. 
   We got a flat tire at the top of the hill in the parking lot.  A kind man gave us a can de-flat which we used to get enough air in the tire to take us to Rochester New York to get it fixed.  This day and age it is hard to find a place that fixes flats late on a Saturday afternoon.  Service stations don't do it anymore.
   We got home Sunday evening and we loved the weekend we had.  Our testimonies grow and grow as we serve.  We were at church and had Brenda and Phil Frandsen come up to us.  We were so surprised and happy to see them.  They are from our Citrus Heights Ward days.  What great people they are. 
   We love the work.  We know that the true church is here on the earth and we are in it.  We are so grateful for our Lord Jesus Christ.  He lived and died for us and continues to live today.  His church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is his kingdom here on earth.  Thank you Lord for allowing us this opportunity to serve as missionaries.

July 6, 2014

 The new missionaries that came into the mission this week are in the top picture.  They are Elder Hales, Sisters Keown and Gillies, Elders Penverne (France), Randrianarivelo,(Madagascar) and Sisters Innes, Halling, and Kimball.  All three Elders are French speaking missionaries.  We are opening French areas in Portland Maine.  They are all wonderful missionaries and we welcome them to the mission.
   The second picture is of the returning missionaries.  They are Elder McKnight, Sister Stoker, President Stoker and Elder Wikan.
Front row, Sisters Davis, Bickel, Griffin, and Fuller.  We took them to the JSM and we had a wonderful time.  We love them so much and we'll miss them.
   The 4th of July was Friday and it rained almost all day.  We had the day off so Miriam and I went to the mall and then a movie.  We really celebrated the 4th on Saturday the 5th.

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The pictures to the right are at Old Orchard Beach in Maine.  It was the most beautiful day.  We have come to love New England with all its beauty.  The greens are so green and the blue sky is so blue when the sun shines.  But the price we pay is that it has to rain a lot to get this beauty.
   We spent the day with the Pettingill's and we had so much fun.  We traveled down the coast.  The traffic was bad, but we didn't mind.  We had dinner at a seafood restaurant in Kittery Maine and it was a great day.
   Today was Fast Sunday and both I and Miriam were able to bear our testimonies.  I testified to the truthfulness of the restoration and the gratitude I had for this wonderful country in which we live.  I shared the story of my brother Verles death in Vietnam back in 1968 and spoke of so many that sacrificed so much.  Miriam bore the sweetest testimony also on the light of Christ.  She doesn't testify often but when she does it is so special.  I love her!
   After the closing prayer Elder Harrington came over to my and threw his arms around me and cried into my shoulder for over 5 minutes.  His emotions came to the surface and he needed lots of hugs.  His father passed away a few months ago very unexpectedly and I think he needed to let his emotions out.  I love him so much.  There are so many trials these wonderful missionaries go through and I love them for their strength. 
   Elder Plyler came up to me during Priesthood meeting and said, "Elder Skidmore, this is a milestone day for me.  I have been on my mission for the exact number of days I was a member before my mission."  Elder Plyler is a convert and was called to serve a mission after just 15 months of his baptism.  He is such a wonderful missionary.
   We have 4 new missionaries in our Ward due to transfers and each gave a sweet testimony.  Our Ward was small due to the holiday week end but the spirit was so strong. 
   Miriam and I miss our family so much, but know this is where are to be at this time in our life.  We love the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We love to serve.  We love all of our missionaries.  We love our Mission President and his wife.