A Week of Reunions

This has been a week of connecting with friends and loved ones from the past. Here is the son of a dear family in our ward in Las Vegas. We love his grandparents, (Fuller and Marie Royal). His mother (Kim) was a youth in our ward when Elder Monson was the Bishop.

Elder Jenkins is working in the Spanish branch that meets in our Memphis 2nd Ward building so we'll get to see him often. A blessing for us for sure!

 

Sunday, May 19th, we travelled to Dansville to see one of Elder Monson's first converts from his mission in Hutchinson, Kansas. Elder Monson baptized Ruth Ann Stewart on July 2nd 1960. She and her husband (Dennis and Ruth Ann Lemon) served in Dansville as a senior couple last year. They came back for a high school graduation so we surprised them with a visit.

There is a special bond between missionary and convert that is always there, no matter how much time passes between meetings. (Ruth Ann and Elder Monson are pictured in the very first blog entry, standing on the steps of the Hutchinson Branch Chapel in 1960.)

The third event of the week wasn't really a reunion. We took the youth and several ward members to do baptisms for the dead. Here we are with a couple of ward members. 

The woman between us (Sister Walker) is working so hard to get herself back into school to support her family. I admire her positive attitude and her diligent effort. She's going to be successful in life. Don't you like her new outfit? We got it for the temple. I's fun to be the fairy god mother. (We didn't get a picture of the entire group.)

Here is a love note from the little six-year-old boy whose family was baptized two weeks ago. He and I really enjoy each other. He brings me notes whenever he sees me.