Week 6 Dwight's Perspective

 Another great week in hot and humid North Carolina!  Did I mention that it's humid here? And hot!?

This week we went to Raleigh to the funeral of  Geraldine (Gerry) B. Edwards ("Grandmommy" of our daughter-in-law, Anna Edwards Potter.)  What a remarkable lady!  All the family tributes were so heart-felt.  It was a touching service.

Was so good to see all 4 of the Raleigh grandkids - but of course, we didn't get any pictures - blah!

Wednesday every week is our day to meet with the young missionaries in our area.  These guys are always so fun and inspiring to be around.  

After our meetings with those guys, we went back to Deep Run to visit with Melissa and discuss the "Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."  Melissa "Missie" is so nice.  We had a great, and very spiritual time visiting with her

We got a call on Thursday that the "Missionaries" were on the schedule to help clean our church building that night.  So, we put on our p-day clothes and headed to the church.  That building has been added onto several times over the years and I always get lost there.  That night, we kind of figured it out.

I went with the young missionaries from Albertson to visit a friend from my youth, Gregory Harper.  It's been at least 40 years I'd say.  He recently lost his mother and his wife.  It was so good to reconnect, but so sad.

Since I was close to my home "town", I decided to pay a visit to the Albertson Post Office of the United States Postal Service, (emphasis added.)  When I was a boy, my daddy was the post master and worked there until he died.  I used to get off the school bus at the P.O. and I'd sweep the floors, mop the floors, take out the trash and shhhh, post mark the outgoing mail!  

Is the Albertson Post Office really that small?

I also ran by the local R-Mart (convenience store, gas station, grill and hardware store).  It used to be Holland's Grocery (small gas station and kind of grocery store?)  Bursell and Etta Mae Holland raised their family in the back of that store.  As I was paying for my bottle of water and bag of pork rinds, I asked the clerk if she knew that the place used to be Holland's Grocery and she had no clue, but promised to check out the history!

Lastly, on this short trip, I stopped by the small Potter Family Cemetery.  It sits back off the road near Albertson on property that my great great granddaddy settled on in the late 1700's.  He and his wife, my great granddaddy, and his wife, my granddaddy and my parents are all buried there.  I always feel a sweet spirit when I visit.

4 generations, front center my parents, Melvin & Clyde right my brother Parley, left my niece Heather Pedersen and next row back to the left whitish marker, my granddaddy Needham

My great-great grand parents are buried here.  Back then they used only wood markers.  Most are missing.  Is this the right one?

Great grandmother Elizabeth Tyndall Potter

My Great granddaddy Daniel Potter, Jr. "To know him was to trust him" 

We decided to stop by the Sandpiper Seafood restaurant for dinner one night this week.  My mouth is watering thinking about it.  Fresh North Carolina seafood and still just as good as it used to be!

Ahhh, fish, shrimp and scallops.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon with the Fredricks, old friends from Goldsboro.  The daughter, Mallory (now Dumond, husband Chretien) was Alyssa's best friend in middle school and I coached several of their ball teams.  Parents Dave and Jerlene were great friends.  Just had a lovely afternoon.

Today coming home from church, we ran into and met one of our next-door neighbors, Tracy.  She and her sister (Anita, we met her before) live there.  Such a lovely person!  As we serve this mission, we keep seeing old friends and meeting new ones.  We can't help but think how we are all God's children and because of that we have a connection and it's been so fun to find or rekindle those connections.  That's what is bringing us the most joy.  We love Heavenly Father and we hope that what we are doing is pleasing Him.  We're having a blast!

ps. It's our anniversary y'all.  41 years and counting!