Don't "Let it snow" Anymore

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW…when will it end? We were “blessed” with another 5-6 inches this past Thursday and Friday. The locals are getting tired of it even to the point of complaining “to us” about the absence of spring. This past week it affected our desire to attempt the drive to appointments, some 45 miles in distance, to visit and home teach some of our assigned members. We moved the appointments to this week. We used the time for lesson prep, study and some branch reports we needed to complete because the quarter just ended.

The operation for the young Roche boy went well.  We sent a request to Sister Shumway for the Elders in Milwaukee to give the young boy a blessing before the operation. His other hip will be operated on this Tuesday and he will be coming home no later than Friday to face his three-month recuperation. He will have to stay completely off of his feet for that time. The Roche’s newly assigned home teachers are in touch and with perfect sensitivity are helping where they can. Additionally, we connected the father, Tom, with a branch member who is particularly helpful in assisting and directing people who need work.

Tom related to us that the phone visit with this branch member went very well, not just about work related issues but also with the connection he was able to make. Based on conversations with the family it is apparent they were not well integrated into the ward they left back in UT. There are some Word of Wisdom and other issues with the family but nothing stopping them from being loved into activity. Tom explained a powerful insight he was given by the member in that above conversation. “The church is here to help us learn how to live in heaven” We took this to mean that he (Tom) felt he wasn’t perfect so he “knew” he couldn’t live up to the expectations he thought he saw in the UT ward. It broke our hearts knowing what this family has been without and also realizing what blessings “complacent” ward members back home missed and are missing. Because of the mission, when we return home we will champion the “members in the margins” for the rest of our lives.

On Wednesday the U.P. part of the zone met for the first time since transfers. What wonderful group of missionaries. We have a couple of new elders who have arrived and were in our meeting. Elder Pike replaced Elder Dusterhoft here in Iron Mountain. Elder Dusterhoft received his regular call to the Colorado Springs CO Mission. Elder Pike is from Las Vegas as was Elder Trout. The fish tie-in has not been lost on the local branch and community. Additional missionaries were assigned to Marquette to serve with the sisters already there. The new missionaries are the District Leaders for the northern part of the U. P. We are seeing a relatively small number of the changes affecting many of the missions throughout the world. 

Feeling educated by the Holy Spirit,

Elder and Sister Johnson

Our friends Will and Brittney Stevens who we met in Marquette after a Zone Training Meeting. Brittney was baptized
by her husband about six months ago. They had recently moved down-state as the locals say. They are
also accused of becoming "trolls" as they now live "under" the (Mackinac) bridge. They are
delightful people and we enjoyed being together with them again.