The Bolts took the opportunity to spend more time at their farm in South Carolina over the Memorial holiday weekend. The farm was inherited from family, so no one lives there full time and they try to drive up there every two weeks to check on the animals and facilities. It's a challenge for them to keep up the farm and their home in Lilburn, chase and manage housing for the mission, and tend to children and family in the area. They do it with happiness and humor. A newborn calf in trouble led them to extend their holiday stay, so we found ourselves solo, holding down the fort so to speak, at the mission office. A flu bug hit several of the missionaries and Sister Wolfert. Elder Connors had more automobile fun. Our printer ran out of ink and the guaranteed delivery on the pre-order was delayed, so plans to finish up the New Missionary Resource Binder fell behind. We we found ourselves still at the Mission Office (along with the Bolts) until 8 p.m. on Friday, May 31. Like old age, missions are not for sissies!
Our landlords, the Clarks, left for a full-family vacation that Friday.We decided it was time to explore a new region of the mission. We got up early, hurried through housework, and drove to Lake Sydney Lanier, about 45 minutes northeast of Lilburn. It's a very lovely area, filled with marinas, private homes, countless small islands, and twisting shorelines. With nearly 700 miles of shoreline, it was an early TVA project, the main water supply for Atlanta, and a fresh water (rather than muddy water) recreation area. Again, it was a beautiful Saturday, but few boats were on the lake. Recreation is not the passion here it seems to be in the West. However, from the number of private homes and boats in the area, it appears property ownership is a driver. We explored the lake(s) a bit from the east to west across Buford Dam, and then back east mid-lake toward Gainesville.
We called one of the local missionary companionships to see if they were available for lunch. Good fortune, they were on exchange in the city of Flowery Branch with the Spanish-speaking missionaries from Buford, so we were able to meet them at the lovely new chapel there and take them to lunch. (Elders Andreasen, Evans, and ???.....) It was the highlight of our day to get to know them and be lifted by their youth and enthusiasm. A week has since passed, and a new apartment has been opened in Flowery Branch and a companionship moved there.
From Flowery Branch we traveled to Gainesville and northwest to Dahlonega. At the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian trail, it was the site of Georgia's gold rush. It's a popular getaway, with a mini-tourist business, shopping and restaurants, a gold mining exhibit, Northern Georgia University, and a concert playing in the town square.We walked the square and then headed down US 19 to Cumming to finish our loop around Lake Lanier. As we traveled south, we passed the LDS Chapel in Dawsonville, but no one was there. Having seen some of the best of Georgia's recreation areas in our 150-mile loop, we headed back to Lilburn. Our afternoon task was to finish digging additional ditches for water control in the Clark's back yard. We stopped at Home Depot for some supplies and wrapped up our trench digging about 8 p.m. It had been a busy and satisfying preparation day.
Dana Roca was confirmed on Fast Sunday. The testimony meeting was rich with true testimony and spirit. Testimonies were primarily doctrine based (and less experiential as we usually hear in Utah). It was a feast! We prayed for Elder Jeffs who had been hospitalized for two days with a bowel obstruction. On Tuesday, eleven new missionaries set foot on Georgia soil. We also said goodbye to Elder Kellikoa (torn Achilles tendon) and Elder Chisholm (knee injury) who had to return home for surgery. Wednesday was Transfer Day. Always busy, busy, with training of new missionaries, exchange of companions, and evening Fireside for the departing missionaries. We host lots of missionaries in the office to meet, greet, and assist with supplies and questions and handle lots of mail in the late afternoon. (We hold the mail for five days before transfers so we can address all of it with the correct destination address in one afternoon after the transfer finalizes in the Church's software.) We had a quick half hour to run home before the Fireside, and after setting up and cleaning up from the refreshments, we arrived home at 10 p.m.
We enjoyed the missionary testimonies at the Fireside, and said goodbye to each of the missionaries with love and thanks (Sister Teisina, Elders Crandall, Garcia, Waters, Vergara, Asher, Montez, May, and Briggs). We'll especially miss Elder Briggs who has been an Assistant to the President. There to be our example and teacher to us since Day One, he is an excellent leader who bore a powerful testimony. Sister Teisina gave and received love from the beginning with her Hawaiian warmth and humor.
Thursday found us Macon bound. Sister Wolfert needed assistance driving two missionaries to an LDS therapist for a routine prescription refill appointment. A long drive for a simple process, but the member counselor is a plus and it gave us a great opportunity to again see more of Georgia and our mission. Macon is outside our mission boundaries, and we learned on the two hour drive there that there is little variation to the Georgian landscape. Again, the highlight of the day was getting better acquainted with two of the Lord's fine servants. We returned one missionary all the way back to Roswell where we also dropped off a bicycle part that one of the new missionaries had left behind in the mission office. One of our missionaries, Elder Cram, spent two hours of the drive reading the Liahona aloud to practice his Spanish. Love their dedication! We arrived back at the office about 4 p.m. to achieve a couple of hours of accomplishment there. Elder Jeffs was blessed with the best of outcomes. Since he had surgery prior to coming to the mission, doctors feared surgery would be extensive and mission ending. When the surgical "have-to" decision was made on Monday evening, doctors discovered the band from the original surgery had come loose. The intestine was healthy, the repair made, and we anticipate he will be back serving soon. His sister lives in Tennessee and is able to act as his companion during his recovery. The Lord truly knows and blesses!
Saturday we received permission from President Wolfert to attend a session in the Atlanta Temple (outside our mission boundaries). The oldest temple in the Southern States, it is now dwarfed by the tall business and apartment dwellings that surround it. As with all temples, the grounds are impeccably landscaped. The temple received a major refurbishing in 2011; the re-dedication allowed some of the missionaries from our mission to serve there during open houses. It has two ordinance rooms, nearly a dozen sealing rooms, and a very peaceful, intimate feeling. More local Saints need to support this temple! There are only six sessions a day on weekdays (3 morning and 3 evening), and on Saturdays the temple is open for only five sessions. We attended the last session that began at 3 p.m. We joined by maybe a dozen patrons, most of whom were set apart temple workers. Despite the limited attendance, the spirit of the workers there and the peace and reverence was a renewal for us after a hectic, yet joyful week.
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