July buzz

Vermont in July.  If the biting black flies don't get you, the humidity will, in spite of the seemingly mild mid-80s temperatures!  Awe, but the beauties of this Green Mountain state never fade.  This is tour bus season, so we are getting lots of visitors, including families that are making their way across Church historical sites including Salt Lake City UT, Martin's Cove WY, Nauvoo IL, Kirtland OH, Palmyra NY and Sharon VT (that's us!).  Such diversity we never expected, but it really spices up our days with people from Canada, Africa, Europe and all over the USA.

Our visitors have all come to see Brother Joseph's birthplace - the cradle of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We make sure that they understand that we revere and honor Joseph Smith as God's founding prophet of the last dispensation of God's Kingdom on earth, but we do not worship him.  We worship God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, just as Joseph did.  Joseph's translation of the 531 page Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ) from gold plates by the gift and power of God in under 90 days of actual work was nothing short of a miracle.  After studying the time line of the major events of Joseph's life, many visitors are truly touched by the Spirit.  I have given many copies of the Book of Mormon to those who express an interest in reading it - always with the stipulation that they promise to read it with prayerful heart and mind.

This is Sister Likes with Russell and Donna Mengel, who had just completed their facilities management mission in Nauvoo, IL.  They were fun to visit with and stayed so long that we took them out to dinner after their tour!

Elder Russell Mengel demonstrating the use of his dowsing rods, used to find water, metal and other items of interest.  He swears by their authenticity, having used them to find wells and old graves in Nauvoo while incredulous onlookers watched in unbelief.  He told us that he located a well and an old outhouse very close to where he was standing in this picture only a few feet from Joseph's monument, but we weren't about to dig up the grass to prove his point!  He gave me a pair of dowsing rods as a gift.  They are simply two copper rods bent into "L" shapes.  I seem to recall that, years ago, members of our family used what were called "witching sticks" to find water and certain kinds of mineral deposits.  Who knows, maybe they work for some people.  

The air conditioner on our 2007 Chevy Trail Blazer quit working, so I shopped around for a reliable repair shop.  The Chevy dealer wanted $800+ to replace the A/C compressor, but Ed Mitchell in the red shirt, the owner of this shop in Plainfield NH (population 2,400), told me on the phone that he thought that was too much money and to bring it in so he could see if they could fix it for less.  In about 2 hours Mike the mechanic in the black shirt had it fixed for $164.  I was so pleased I asked them to pose with me for my blog and assured Ed that he would get plenty of free advertising.  Both great guys.  Love the small town honesty!

Sister Likes standing in front of the KFC in West Lebanon NH.  This store sits on the site where Joseph Smith had leg surgery in 1813 at age 7 by Dr. Nathan Smith, founder of Dartmouth College of Medicine.

Lynne wanted to go for a train ride, so we took a 2 hour ride on the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad along the water front near Meredith NH, across the lake from Wolfeboro where Mitt Romney and the Marriotts have summer homes.  Notice how I coordinated my clothes with the train colors!

Sister Likes on an old caboose near the train we rode on.  Lots of antique things to see and touch in the Northeastern states.

142 youth and their 20 leaders from Nashua NH stake spent 3 days with us at Camp Joseph, adjacent to the Memorial.  Their activities, all planned by the youth, were superb.  They rebuilt about 100 yards of old stone wall near the Old Turnpike Road on the church property in one day using 13 teams, each assigned one section.  They lifted, moved and arranged 4 large truckloads of Vermont granite that must have weighed upwards of 20 tons, as it weighs 165 lbs/cubic foot.  They also floated down the White River together using a mass of designer inner tubes.  Fun group!