Week 39

This week I noticed something I had never noticed in North Carolina before. Purple flowers were popping up everywhere. I don't remember these particular flowers when we lived here 20-40 years ago. I took pictures and did a reverse search and found out I was looking at Chinese Wisteria. Some people call it the "Purple Plague." It's an invasive flowering weed. It can be a pretty arbor or trained to grow on the sides of buildings, but it also invades unexpecting gardens and woods and can literally choke the life out of other plants. It wraps itself around a tree and will climb to the top taking it over.

Check out the vines around this tree.

Here is one keeping to itself.

Wisteria invaded woods

More invaders

To start this week, we had a productive P-day. We cleaned, did laundry, and shopped. Dwight started memorizing The Living Christ. I started practicing the piano and began working on grandkids' Christmas gifts.

We were able to visit Angie and JD this week. It was great to spend time with them again. We had a fun visit with Dwight's cousin Jennifer (Nethkin) Dickinson. We shared memories, pictures, and caught up. We got to meet her husband Joey. We are looking forward to visiting again soon.

Wednesday was a super busy day. We had District council, helped Judy put up more blinds, took the Faison kids to the youth activity. While we were at the church we videoed some of the youth quoting The Living Christ.

Thursday we visited with Jean Claude, Wendy, and Alex. Alex had his second Spanish reading lesson. He did such an amazing job. I left him with videos and flash cards to learn the alphabet and some simple words. I told him he would learn quickly if he prayed. When we returned this week, he had learned all the letters and the sounds and could sound out simple words. I kept seeing "light bulbs" going off in his eyes. He is totally getting it. I asked him if he prayed. He said, "A lot! And I studied a lot! I want to read the scriptures." Everyone pray for Alex. He has had a lot of hard things in his life. He seems so happy working on his goals.

Friday we went back and helped Judy again. She treated us to lunch while we were there. We always have fun at Judy's house. Later that day we met a new Haitian friend in Goldsboro. He seemed really spiritual and very intelligent. He held the Book of Mormon with reverence. Later he called and asked if he could come to church. A member of the Goldsboro 2nd ward picked him up today for church.

Saturday, the young sister missionaries came by to test Dwight on his memorization of The Living Christ. He passed it off. He memorized it in 6 days... truly amazing! 

This morning we picked up a new Haitian friend for church. She is a sweet young mother. I sat with her as she cried through a beautiful talk about the Savior. She said she wants to come back again. She also asked for a Book of Mormon.

After church we met Alyssa and Elayna at a park in Newton Grove (not far from church in Mt. Olive). They were coming home from a weekend at the Coast. We ate lunch and had fun hiding and finding Easter eggs and watching Elayna play.

Elayna and Pop Pop hiding eggs

Elayna to me and Alyssa,
"Now, you and you go look for eggs."

Ready for someone to lift her
up on a swing

Elayna to Alyssa, "I'm driving. You get
in your car seat."

Later we went to Kari's, our niece, house for dinner. Linda, Dwight's sister, will be here for another three weeks. Sheri, Kari's sister, will be here until Saturday. We all had a nice visit.

Dwight, Adelyn (Kari's daughter), Kari, Sheri

This greeted us when we got home...

It was from the Hermanas (the young Spanish sister missionaries). There are 5 young sister missionaries in Albertson... 2 English and 3 Spanish. They are all amazing!

Our daughter, Anna, sent this picture to me this morning. It's of our backyard in Utah. This is what they woke up to on Easter morning.

In Albertson, North Carolina it was 83 degrees today. Whether it's cold and cloudy or warm and sunny; whether life seems to be going smoothly or a little rough; whether your problems are big or small; there is always one constant--Jesus Christ. He is there for all our ups and downs, our mistakes and successes, our sorrows and our joys. Today is Easter, which had me thinking even more about the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. He suffered and experienced everything we will ever suffer or experience, so He will know how to succor us. "Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) 

We love you all!

Love Sister and Elder Potter