Week 18

Since Monday was a holiday, we worked part of the day then went to see Kent House--the only plantation house in Alexandria.  It was very interesting and the tour guide was excellent.  You may remember from earlier posts that Alexandria was burned to the ground by the Union Army in the Civil War.  Kent House survived because the owner surrendered to the Union.  His land was burned, but the house was saved.  It was originally 500 acres given by a Spanish Land Grant.  The Spanish would give that much free to Catholics, so the original owner became a Catholic.  He later added more land until it reached 1700 acres. Primarily raising cotton for sale, but also enough sugar cane and other crops just for use on the plantation.

The kitchen outbuilding

From front and back--elevation kept it a little cooler and freer from mosquitoes  

Blacksmith's shop on bottom left, a slave who lived to 114 years old on top, cotton sack on right--slaves wore these around their shoulders as they picked cotton.  This one held 100 pounds--the largest would hold 300 pounds

Dining room, bedrooms, and parlor

The sugar mill--fire in the chamber on the bottom, huge pots upstairs to boil down the juice from sugar cane

And more beautiful camellias on the grounds--roses were also in bloom

We have been seeing Mardi Gras decorations for sale at Hobby Lobby since before Christmas--in fact, seven entire rows plus end displays:

Rows and rows of purple, gold, and green Mardi Gras decorations

Also, we started seeing King Cake, the traditional Mardi Gras cake decorated with purple, gold, and green sugar, in stores a couple of weeks ago.  We needed something from the mall this week, and the stores were displaying the most sparkly, glittery formal gowns you can imagine.

On Friday I got my hair cut--the salon was decorated for Mardi Gras, and I told my stylist that everyone knows about Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, because they're on the news.  I asked her to tell me about the celebrations elsewhere in the state.  Well, apparently Mardi Gras is not just a day (Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the 40 days of Lent), but it's a season.  It starts at the first of the year, and all those fancy gowns at the mall are for the balls that have already started.  I guess there is one about every weekend.  There will be several parades closer to the day (March 5 this year), and several other festivities. She also told me where to go to buy the best King Cakes.  I'll describe more as we experience more of Mardi Gras, but it starts early in Louisiana!

A fairly quiet week--we visited one early seminary class, substituted in the institute class, served in the food bank, held our addiction recovery session, and visited a bit in Marksville.  The training for volunteers at the prison was supposed to be held on Thursday, but with the government shut-down, nothing extra was happening at federal prisons.  We leave on Monday for a CES training in Tallahassee, FL, and plan to do a bit of sight seeing along the way.

Week 17

Last week I failed to mention that we had begun working at the Central Louisiana Food Bank for a couple of hours a week.  Our co-workers are inmates from the Rapides Parish Correctional Facility and a variety of volunteers.  It is actually a good experience, and the inmates who work with us are very nice.

Also last week, we had a Seminaries and Institutes Faculty Training on Sunday evening.  We generally have those monthly.  Unlike when we were in Oklahoma, though, we are the teachers rather than the participants.

Tuesday evening we presented some information about the Addiction Recovery Program at the Bishops Training Meeting.  We still only had one person attend on Thursday, but he said he wants to keep coming and he felt more hope this week than he has in a while.

On Wednesday we left home at 6 am to drive to Baton Rouge for a mission tour zone conference.  The Seventy making the tour was Elder Bradley D. Foster (and his wife).  It is highly unusual to have this many general authorities visit a mission in such a short time, but the meeting a few weeks ago was actually associated with area training and stake conferences.  They all just added in a meeting with the missionaries.  This visit's only purpose was touring the mission and meeting with missionaries.  Interestingly, this is Elder Foster's last mission tour--he will become emeritus at the next General Conference.

First President and Sister Varner spoke for a few minutes, and both told tender stories that touched my heart.  Then Sister Foster spoke and shared some sweet stories from her experiences.  She said we can't look at ourselves with squinty eyes--we have to see ourselves at God sees us.  That perspective gives meaning to things we see and experience every day; but we need to keep moving to get to the full comprehension of things as they really are.  Elder Foster spoke, then after a break did some training, then after another break he made some closing remarks.

I know I can't capture the feeling of the meeting, or even do justice to the messages, but here are a couple of highlights from Elder Foster (geared for the young missionaries, but great messages for senior missionaries, as well):

1. A mission is never about you, it's always about THEM.  "Them" is your companion, the members, the non-members.  Focus on serving them.
2. In the song "Called to Serve" we sing the line . . . tell the Father's story.  What is the Father's story?  It's the plan for all of His children, the plan of salvation.  The plan is the WHY for all of the commandments and all the rest of the gospel.
3. Missionary work is not a membership drive.  It's about helping people participate fully in the plan.
4. What do you want to say to Heavenly Father in your last prayer as a full-time missionary?  Thinking about that occasionally along the way will change perspective and help you be able to say "I've done enough."  

All of the above illustrated with stories, scriptures, and experiences.  Really a wonderful conference and a spiritual shot in the arm.

Here's another picture of the temple:

A little more progress every time we see it

Thursday we left home at 5:30 am to go to the seminary class in Dry Prong.  We had gone to Alexandria institute the night before; these were our first class visits of the semester.  

Today was Branch Conference in Marksville.  With all of the stake visitors, our attendance was almost tripled! After good meetings, we had a pot luck lunch and got to visit while eating good food.

We just finished FHE with our two Young Single Adults.  They were gone for the Christmas break, so we started again last week.  We really have fun together and it's good to have them back in town.

Week 16

Wednesday was transfer day, and Sister Martin was transferred to Mississippi.  The sisters live with the Green family, and they invited all the missionaries in the district over on Tuesday for gumbo to say good-bye.  It was fun and delicious.

Good Gumbo at Green's

Both elders in Marksville were transferred, and we met our new elders today--Elder Jackson and Elder McNary.  Haven't met our new sister yet.

Thursday we held our first session of the Church's Addiction Recovery Program in Alexandria.  We had been asked before Christmas if we would be group leaders for that, and we've spent quite a lot of time working on the on-line training and talking to the supervisor in the area, a service missionary.  He's in Denham Springs, near Baton Rouge, and he and his wife lead a call-in program for pornography addiction.  They invited us to call in the week before we started so we could experience a meeting before beginning.  We were amazed and really touched at how spiritual that meeting was. The program is carefully thought out and constructed, and is based on Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Program.  It adds, however, the Atonement of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of all recovery. 

We had only one man there last week, but felt it went well.  From that man, we got a little glimpse into the hellish hold addiction has on people, and we just ache for how hard it is to get out of its grasp.  We'll be going to the stake bishops' training meeting this week, and hope they'll recommend the program to more people in their wards who need it.

Some Random Observations 'Round and About in Louisiana:

• When we first came we saw CENLA quite often, but didn't know what it was.  (Best this, that, or the other in Cenla, or serving all Cenla, etc).  It means Central Louisiana, and is how this part of the state is referred to.  
• Our stake covers Cenla--from the Texas/LA border on the west to just over the Mississippi border in Natches on the east.  It's the narrowest part of the state, and Alexandria is right in the center of the state.
• Word use is always interesting--here are a few LA specialties
• Many people call their grandmothers Maw Maw
• I am referred to as Miss Nora in any professional or service setting ( doctor/dental office calls to remind Miss Nora of appointment, greeted as Miss Nora at hairdresser, doctor, etc)
• It's very common for either of us (and everybody else) to be called baby, honey, sweetheart by all kinds of people--at the store, in a restaurant, etc
• At the grocery store, you don't put your groceries in a cart, they go in the buggy
• We're not warned about speed bumps, they're speed humps

• Instead of counties, they are called Parishes.  There are 64 parishes in LA.  We live in  Rapides (pronounced Rapeeds) Parish, go to church in Avoyelles Parish, and visit seminary and institute classes in several other parishes.  Some have French names, some have Indian names, and some have English origins
• The sign as you enter each city doesn't say City Limit, it says Corp Limit
• We haven't figured out zoning laws yet.  Especially in the rural areas, you can find a lovely big home and the next home over is a trailer, then there might be a modest home followed by another trailer, next to a mini mansion.  They are on a lot of property, so they're not close together, but it's still interesting to see such a mix.
• There are not basements here due to the high water table.  Some homes are built on concrete slabs, but a lot of homes are elevated on cinder blocks, bricks, or some other material. All of the trailer homes are elevated like that, but it's surprising how many other homes are on risers rather than a pad.

• It's not spring yet, but don't tell that to the people with lush gardens

They were selling collard greens

• And we're starting to see daffodils on the side of the road and in front of houses

More January flowers

Week 15

Rain, rain, and more rain.  Wednesday and Thursday it rained for over 36 hours straight.  Sometimes heavy, and sometimes really heavy!  We've never seen the bayous, ditches, and ponds so full, but it's all normal for winter in Louisiana.  The picture below is of the Red River on Thursday, and the same bridge marker two days later.  After the rain stopped, the water from upstream continued to make the river rise.

The main event of this week was an amazing mission conference yesterday in Baton Rouge.  Presiding was Elder Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve, and accompanying him were Elder Bowen of the Seventy, Bishop Davies of the Presiding Bishopric, and Elder Johnson, the Area Seventy.  All of their wives were with them, and we got to hear from all eight of them!

This was the first time our entire mission has been together in the time we've been here.  That's all the missionaries in Louisiana and Mississippi.  Before we met all the visiting authorities, we had to get staged for a picture.  Elder Kerr took this picture just to get the scope of the mission.  Senior missionaries, President and Sister Varner, and the visiting authorities and their wives sat in the chairs, and some missionaries knelt in front, so this doesn't show anything like the finished product, but gives an idea of the size of the group.

After the staging, so everyone knew where to sit or stand, all the missionaries gathered with their district and waited for the General Authorities to come in.  They then shook hands, district by district, with every missionary.  After that, everyone returned to the stage for the picture.  But in the meantime, as soon as Sister Gong (or Susan Lindsay, as I knew her in Taiwan) came in, she came over to visit with me and we had a very nice, even if short, visit.  We have been in contact a few times in the years since our Taiwan missions and BYU days, but not a lot, and it was good to see her.

Sister Gong

The meeting was in the Stake Center next to the temple, and now they have started putting the stone exterior on--not quite as naked as when we were there a few weeks ago.

Now back to the meeting.  Elders Gong, Bowen, Johnson, and Bishop Davies had been in meetings with leaders from all the stakes in the area prior to the missionary meeting.  Then they had the missionary meeting. Following their remarks, Elder Bowen and Bishop Davies left to go to two other stake conferences in the area, while Elder Gong stayed for the Baton Rouge stake conference sessions.  Busy schedules!  Here are a few highlights of the conference

 First Sister Davies spoke about characteristics of successful missionaries--happy enthusiasm and careful obedience.  Bishop Davies reiterated the importance of obedience by saying,  "Don't ever distance yourself from the Spirit by doing things you know you shouldn't do."

Next Elder and Sister Bowen spoke.  He said that one of the things he always asked new missionaries when he was a president was, "Can I trust you?"  If your mission president can trust you, the Lord can trust you.  He said, "Have honor, character, and integrity, and let God do His miracles with you."

Elder and Sister Johnson then spoke.  She talked about keeping eternal perspective, and one thing I noted from his talk was, "We tend to get frustrated when with think it's our work.  When we realize we're simply helping with His work, we're much less frustrated."

Sister Gong spoke next, and related an experience that I remember well from our missions.  She had a companion who was extremely difficult for her.  One day they'd had an argument and each went into their bedroom, slamming the doors behind them.  She knelt down to pray and complain about her companion to Heavenly Father.  While doing so she heard a voice say, "She's My daughter and I love her.  You shouldn't talk about her that way."  Sister Gong said she knew she had just been chastised by the Lord, but felt only love and concern in the chastisement.  She talked about being filled with charity, even in hard circumstances.

Elder Gong spoke for the bulk of the meeting, and made four main points:

1. Missionaries are called by God through a prophet, then assigned by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve.  Missionaries are assigned where they are for a variety of reasons and purposes, which may be different for different missionaries.  He counseled us to take care of each other (our companions) because you're together for a reason.
2. Citing Alma 17: 2-3, Elder Gong said what will we be able to talk about with our former companions in 30 years?  Live and act so there will be much good to share.
3. Teach people not lessons--prepare well in order to let the Spirit help you teach.  Learn to teach with the eyes and the heart--be open to the people you teach.  He also said we often receive revelation when praying to help someone else.
4. Referring to 3 Nephi 27: 7-9, he reminded us of the importance of using the correct name of the church and that everything we do is because of the Savior.  

All of the above was illustrated with stories, scriptures, and testimonies.  Even though most remarks were, of course, directed at the young missionaries, there was much for all of us to learn.  The Spirit was definitely present and it was a wonderful meeting.

Today we got a new branch president in Marksville--President Hazlewood is actually a member of the Alexandria Ward, but he and his wife will now serve in Marksville.  There are so few active Melchizedek priesthood holders in the branch that bringing someone in from outside the branch was not a surprise.