Week 22 - Dwight

Well December is finally here and we're starting our 6th month as missionaries.  Some interesting things happening this week.  With Mt. Olive being added to our area, we're trying to figure out how to plan for both wards.  We're about a 45 minute drive from the Church in Mt Olive, so we're considering if we need to move to somewhere between Woodington and Mt. Olive to make it more convenient - say, I don't know, maybe ALBERTSON, where I grew up!  My friends have a house they want to rent, right beside the Post Office, where Daddy worked and I spent a lot of time.  We'll check it out and more to come on that, but that would be amazing!

Tuesday we spent some time with Lorie Ann, our friend that's preparing to go to the temple.  She continues to have a lot of good questions about a lot of things.  We feel really blessed to know her and to be able to have her as our friend (and 3rd cousin!)  That night we went to Albertson to my grand niece's baptism - Adelyn.  She is my sister Linda's granddaughter.  There were lots of family and friends there.

Adelyn (left) and friends

4 Generations of Duprees (L-R) Ken, Adelyn, Richard, Charlotte

Wednesday mornings are always filled with meetings with the young missionaries.  We said goodbye to Elder Hardy, our district leader, who's finished his 2-year mission and heading home.  That night we attended the funeral of Ramona Ann Collins Jenkins LaPlante in Pink Hill.  Sister Ramona grew up in the Albertson area and knew my parents very well.  They used to call my mama the "general" because she liked to be in charge and get her say.  If Mama was a 1 or 2-star general, then Sister Ramona was definitely a 4-star+ general!  Soon after we arrived here, she texted me 31 times asking us to go visit a sister that she was ministering to because that sister had had a stroke.  We went and that visit resulted in two baptisms!  Later Ramona had her own stroke, but seemed to be doing well.  Just four weeks ago today she bore a short, heart-felt testimony of Jesus Christ in our Fast and Testimony Meeting.  Then just 2 weeks ago she was in the hospital.  We visited her and the family 3 times and each time we went she just got weaker.  We gave her a blessing.  On our 2nd visit she said to me "Brother Dwight, I want to be with Jesus"  I felt like her time was close.  On Thursday I was honored to dedicate her grave site.

Thursday we also got to visit with Claire and we watched the Joseph Smith story video together with her and her grandma.  Always fun to visit their house.  From there we rushed to the church to help clean it and from there we rushed to our friends' house (Sandra Dixon, JR Rouse's sister.)  We were invited to a fish fry with them and extended family.  We didn't realize until we got there that it was Melvin Dixon's birthday that we were celebrating!  We were the only non-family there and felt loved to be invited.  I had already researched the Rouse family history and helped them get the FamilySearch Tree app downloaded and loaded in their tree.  We love doing that and seeing people be amazed at how much of their family tree information is available.  

Friday I spent most of the day with JR (Junior to me).  We fished some at the beach and I caught a fairly large pompano and we also caught several large sea mullets!  Yay.  Junior is a good friend from my childhood and now we're good friends again.  I think he's helping me as much as I'm helping him.  He's not a member of our Church, but we always pray and talk about spiritual stuff.  He lost his dad earlier this year and has been struggling with how to deal with that, as we all would.  There is so much hope because of Jesus Christ and he knows that.

JR surf fishing

On Saturday we spent all day in Mt. Olive.  Annie Carter is a sister that was baptized on Saturday by the young elders.  Very nice lady!  Took the young missionaries to lunch and then went for a lesson with them to a guy and his "grandson" with a very interesting story.  He set a baptism date!  Visited with some dear friends Manon Parent and Clara Gwaltney and just had a lovely day.

We love Jesus Christ and know that He is the Savior of the world.  President Nelson (prophet) invited us to "think Celestial".  We hope that we're not only believing in Jesus Christ, but trying to become something more by following His perfect example for us, so that we can begin to think more "Celestial" and live more "Celestial".  We believe that trying to live a more Christ-like life will not only bring us peace and happiness in this life, but will bring us a hope of more peace and happiness in the world to come.  We know that it is only through Him that we are saved.  Love you all!