Week 12 - Dwight

 

Susan always does a great job of taking pictures when it's her turn to write.  Me, not so much.  Sorry for all of you that read this for the pictures.  There ain't gonna be many this time.

From the time I can remember and all the years growing up in Albertson. North Carolina,  there was a ditch beside the road in front of our house.  It always had water running in it, and many tadpoles and crayfish became playmates to my brothers and me.  Not too far from our house, there was a large hole close to the ditch that for years never got filled in.  I was told that that there used to be a very large tree where that hole was and that when Hurricane Hazel came through, the tree was blown down.  Hazel came through in 1954, a few years before I was born.  It slammed into North Carolina as a category 4 hurricane, the only category 4 hurricane to make it that far north.  It was kind of a "perfect storm" scenario.  With record setting temperatures around 102 degrees in early October, and very warm ocean water temperatures, the climate was ripe for severe weather.  The damage caused was massive.  The small coastal community of Long Beach had 352 buildings out of 357 that were destroyed!  And of course, our big tree was blown down, leaving a hole that remained there for years, causing a little boy to wonder why.  While Hazel was North Carolina's strongest storm ever, the state has had many other storms of note.  Diana was a category 2 storm that brought about 14 inches of rain in 1984.  In 1996 Fran was a category 3 and brought 24 inches of rain.  Floyd came through in 1999 as a category 2 and also brought 24 inches of rain.  Matthew crossed the state in 2016 as a category 1 with 19 inches of rain.  And who can forget Florence in 2018, which was only a category 1, but moved very slowly and dropped a whopping 36 inches of rain and caused severe flooding throughout all of eastern North Carolina.  

I'm thinking about storms this week because Tropical Storm Ophelia just came ashore this weekend.  We happened to be at the beach Friday night and did get a picture of the wind blowing the surf.

While we were down there we drove through Sneads Ferry.  Apparently, it was named after Robert Snead, who had a river-crossing ferry in the mid 1700's.  It's known for it's shrimp festival.  The only thing I remember about Sneads Ferry as a boy was going there one time with my dad to buy of all things, shrimp.

You may ask, "why were you at the beach when a tropical storm was heading your way?"  I'll tell you.  We went down there to meet and hang out with a long lost cousin of mine, Durward Potter.  He's my first cousin, twice removed.  I've been communicating with him and his uncle, George Potter, all week, sharing family stories and photographs.  Durward and George are both descendants of  my uncle Benagy Potter and I've had such a wonderful time with them electronically this week.  The week was capped off by Susan and me meeting Durward and spending about 3 hours with him.  They had been asking around about the Potter Family Reunion, that years ago was held annually at the old Church building that my grandfather helped build in Duplin County.  They left a message with the sister missionaries in Albertson and they gave me Durward's number and it's like a little miracle that we found each other and have been able to share so much.  I wish I could share all the new photographs I've received, but I will share this one from 1969 of the attendees at the Potter Family Reunion.  The others I will make sure make it onto FamilySearch.  Mama and Daddy are in this picture as well as Durward and his family, along with a lot of other Potter family members.  I was 11 and was probably playing in the woods, because I don't see myself anywhere in the picture!  See if you see anyone you know.

We did do more than hang out at the beach this week.  We met a lovely couple, Clifton and Betty Huggins.  We had a wonderful discussion and felt the Holy Ghost bearing testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They have an old store behind their house that they have restored in all its glory and it was quite amazing!

We visited again with our friend Greg Harper with the sister missionaries that are now in Albertson.  We discovered that Sister Johnson, full-time missionary at Albertson, is the granddaughter of Dave Larsen.  Dave Larsen and his wife bought our house in Cedar City a few years ago and, unfortunately he died earlier this year.  Susan was able to help comfort Sister Johnson as she reminisced about her grandfather.  We also had video chats with all our kids and families in Utah.  We discovered that we may want to do them more often since our grandkids are too grown since the last time we saw them!

We were able to teach several individuals and families, the Faisons, Melissa and Angie.  We have grown to love these wonderful people and are glad that God put them in our path.  Serving as full-time missionaries is a lot of work, but brings so many blessings.

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Helaman taught his sons, " And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

The storms of life come, as they always do.  Sometimes they can be very hard to weather, but if we are built on the rock of Jesus Christ, exercising faith in Him, believing Him and His promises, following Him, then those storms "shall have no power over" us "to drag" us "down to the gulf of misery and endless wo."  Believe in Christ.  Believe his promises, because they are sure.  He is our rock, our sure foundation.  We love him and love you all!

Week 11

 

Before I tell you about this week, I've got to show you a few pictures Dwight forgot last week. After we went to the temple last week, we treated everyone to a fabulous dinner at McDonalds where Judy and I got Happy Meals. :)

Waiting for our "server" to bring our dinner.

We celebrated Alyssa's birthday while we were in Raleigh and had some fun with the grandkids. It looks like Clara avoided the camera this time.

We had some good lessons and fun visits this week. One in particular that stands out to me is the granddaughter of some members that haven't been to church in a while. The granddaughter wants to learn more and has a desire to be baptized. She is 10 years old and has a fun personality. Teaching her is going to be delightful!

On Thursday we had zone conference from 2-6, and then from 6-8 the stake missionaries and leaders were invited. It was a long but uplifting day. When we went outside to get in the car, it was raining buckets. I wish I had taken a picture of the sister missionary that ran to her car to get an umbrella for her companion. She was soaked--but soooo sweet!

Our zone and the mission president and his wife.

Saturday we gave a presentation at a Stake Primary activity about staying on the Covenant Path. We asked the kids to make choices and then put footprints on a big path that said things like "Love One Another," "Obey Parents," and "Keep the Sabbath Day Holy." We had a lot of fun, and I think the kids did, too!.

The highlight of our week was the baptism of Jay and Aariyah! They are truly amazing. After the baptism, we were sitting around a table talking and eating refreshments. We were telling Jay and Aariyah  they "get" to have the lessons all over again as new members. Instead of looking shocked or overwhelmed, they looked happy. I told them it would be more of a review and asked them a few example questions. They answered correctly without hesitation, so we kept asking questions. They knew all the answers about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Either we are really good teachers or they are really smart--or the Holy Ghost is a really good teacher; I think it's a combination of the last two.

Before the baptism

Selfie time

Aren't they so cute! They make me smile!

Best quote this week was from Jay's 18-year-old sister to us: "Do ya'll have to go home?" (meaning at the end of our mission) I love this family!

Spiritual Thought:

2 Nephi 31: 17 ...For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God...

These verses in the Book of Mormon clearly teach us the Doctrine of Christ. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, there is a way we can return to live with God, to have Eternal life. We need faith in Jesus Christ, we need to repent which was made possible through Christ's Atonement, we need to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and we need to love God and all men and keep the covenants we have made with God throughout our life (endure to the end).

We are so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to share His gospel.

We love you all!

Sister and Elder Potter

Week 10 - Dwight

 

Having grown up in eastern North Carolina, I sometimes forget that there is a significant amount of Revolutionary Was as well as Civil War history here.  Many battles and skirmishes took place not too far from my neck of the woods.  A few days ago we drove past this historical marker and drove back to see what it was.  This is a battle that I didn't even know about that was only 16-18 miles from my childhood home. (For my grandkids' benefit, no, I was not yet born when this happened!)  The Battle of Wyse Fork (Civil War) took place in 1865 near Kinston.  If I'm reading correctly, there were about 25,000 troops involved in this battle.  There are several other Civil and Revolutionary War Battle sites here that I have visited, but this is the 1st time I've visited this one.

What a packed and fun week we've had.  Early in the week we visited an old friend and cousin (his great great grandfather is my grandfather), Johnny Huggins.  We decided that we haven't seen each other in about 30 years.  He told me that my dad, Melvin Potter, (He called him Uncle Melvin) had been like a second father to him when he was young.  I didn't know that.  He showed us this photo sheet of all the leaders of the Albertson Branch/Ward of the Church from 1907 - 2007 that was put together by Eleanor Harper when they had a 100-year celebration.

The 1st leader of the Albertson Branch was my dad's 1st cousin, Daniel Potter. Daddy was the 5th branch president (second row, left side).  My brother Parley was the 13th leader overall, serving as bishop from 91-95

We visited with several other old friends this week and it was so good to catch up.  On Tuesday, we ran to Greenville (30ish miles away) to visit a sister from our ward that had a stroke and is in rehab.  On the way back to Kinston, we had to stop at a BBQ restaurant that Gregory Harper told us about.  I'm always looking for another good North Carolina BBQ place (pulled/chopped pork with vinegar based sauce.) This one is called Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden and it was well worth the time.  They have some of the best BBQ I've ever eaten.  I don't think I could beat it making it myself!  They cook the pig over wood and add some chopped crispy skin to the meat.  Amazing!  We'll definitely go back again.

We had several wonderful lessons with the Faison family, including right after church today.  Two of them are getting baptized this Saturday.  They have sincere questions we're trying to answer, like, "How do you know the Book of Mormon is true?"  They are very sincere and humble and we love them and are so happy we know them.

Another highlight this week was going to the temple with our good friend Judy (baptized about a month ago) and the Campuzanos family, along with the Albertson missionaries.  We went to do baptisms. Judy was able to stand in proxy for her mother and both grandmothers.  She was able to witness the elders stand in proxy for her father and both grandfathers.  What a beautiful evening in the temple.  I'm so grateful for the doctrine of eternal families!

Later in the week we went to see our good friends J.D. Robinson and his daughter Lorie.  We had a wonderful discussion about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  What added to the visit was that J.D.'s new caretaker Angie was there and participated in the discussion.  We'll be going back next week to further our discussion.

Lastly, on Saturday, we participated in a fundraiser put on by the CSS Neuse Gunboat Association.  The CSS Neuse was a Navel vessel on the Neuse River during the Civil War.  The remnants of the original boat are housed in the museum.  There is a complete, to scale, replica that is on display where we had the fund raiser.  We cooked about 4,000 chicken wings and sold about 900 lunch plates.  For someone that likes to grill, this was a great learning experience for me.

While the Civil and Revolutionary Wars are part of our history, I'm glad they are just that - history!  I'm grateful for our Founder Fathers and other brave souls that helped to create this country and defend it over the years. I worry some for our future, but trust that God will help and preserve us as long as we seek to follow His Son Jesus Christ.  We love Him and are so glad we get to represent Him full-time as missionaries.  Love you all.

Week 9

I can't believe another week has gone by. This week started out with some fun. We had dinner with all the senior missionaries at our Mission Leaders' house. It was fun to get to know everyone better and meet some new people. After dinner we went to Jake's house (our son) and visited with his family and Alyssa.

At Mission President's House

Von, Pop Pop, Sully

We spent a lot of time this week looking for people. We've put a lot of miles on Dwight's truck. We found very few people home, but those we did get to talk to were worth all the miles. We saw a dear friend yesterday who has been through extreme trials the past few years and has kept her faith. Talking to her strengthened me. She said she needed us that day. We all need each other.

While driving all those miles this week, I took pictures of old country stores... the ones that have long been closed for business. It seems there is one on just about every crossroad. Some of the old stores have turned into new businesses, but I am fascinated by the old, empty ones that are just sitting there begging to tell their stories.

This next store was one that Dwight frequented as a youth. It was a a little store and "pool hall" (near B. F. Grady School).

This next store is still in business. It's down the road from where Dwight grew up and where we lived as a family for seven years. A long time ago (like in the 80s), I was talking to my sister-in-law while writing a check to "R-Mart" for cash (you could do that in the olden days).  :)  After signing my name to the check, I realized I'd signed "Susan R. Mart" instead of "Susan R. Potter." I think about that every time I pass this store... which is quite often lately.

And one more little store, still in business--an old Dairy Queen we passed today in New Bern. I thought it was cute.

We have taught lessons to some amazing people this week. We have two people planning to be baptized on September 16. It warms my heart to see people's love of the Savior grow.

The best question we were asked this week came from a young boy after talking about prophets and reading some scriptures about prophets: "I want to be a prophet. Can I be a prophet?"

Today we went to visit a lady in our ward who hasn't been to church in a long time. She is convalescing in a hospital about an hour away from her home and any family. She was so happy to have visitors. We gave her a Book of Mormon, and her eyes lit up.

In the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 11:14-17, Jesus visited the people on the American continent after His resurrection and said, "Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet... And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him."

We love our Savior, Jesus Christ!

We love all of you!

Love, Sister and Elder Potter