Work, Meetings and Fun

This week has gone by so fast!  We really love it here and have been blessed with more mild weather as we've been serving!  We love our walks in the mornings when our schedule permits them.   

this is 91 year old Max.  He's a WWII vet and full of great stories!

Across the street from him is this totally wiped out house. 

We did lots of work this week in jeans and tshirts, but we actually had a whole day of work as regular missionaries.  We drove up to the furthest north part of the ward and saw some great cornfields and beautiful places on the way.

We met the Badgers on Thursday when we had interviews; which lasted all day!  We were glad to get home in time to do some physical labor at the Bishop's home moving this pile of debris to the street.

More moving of belongings at the Jays.

This is our district.  Photo bombed by our ZL, Elder Fox.

Saturday we had an all day Senior retreat to the Amana Colonies.  They aren't Amish, we discovered.  They came from the same place at about the same time as them Amish and settled in the same areas.

Here's all the senior missionaries in our mission.

Lots of fun shops and great food.

A tree next to Alain's house waiting to be cut up and hauled away.

We drove out to Toledo to visit a couple of members. 

Its a cute town.

Our district leader; Elder Westover and his companion; Elder Gaunt came and helped us with the Jay packing and moving.

We have a garage!  We rent it for $45 a month.  It will be very nice to have this winter.

I couldn't resist this cute sign of a town in our ward.

After playing all day in Amana, it was nice to get back in time to help put up siding at the Steinbeck's.

We got internet this week, too, which really helps.  I could use your prayers as I strive to learn to teach and understand in French.  This week's goal is to learn to pray in French.

Goodbyes, helloes, and a tornado

Wow!  Such a lot has happened since we said goodbye to our kids and grandkids that I can’t believe it’s only  been a few days! It’s been over 59 years since Marshalltown was hit by a tornado.

We haven’t got internet yet so doing this post on my phone has been rough!  So the pictures are very jumbled.  Somehow there’s lots of duplicates too. 

We have about 15 members from the Ivory Coast here.  I’m trying to remember how to speak French!  I need my sister Kathy here! Duo lingo is helping.  There are also about 45 Spanish speakers!  

In these pictures is a member’s home that lost their top floor and roof; the Banderas.  

I’m so impressed with the hundreds of hours the members here have served already this week.  They will be easy to love!  What a great way to meet them by serving with them!  

We saw many members homes where trees had fallen all around them and not hit them.  We’ve seen what kind and good people live here and how they serve each other.  It’s a blessing to be here! We’re a little sunburned, bruised and scratched up but doing great and loving life! Another great blessing has been the cooler than usual weather.  It helps with the hours spent cleaning up and with those left without power all week.

Last night we actually got in a couple of visits to members! Out of town it looks a lot like Cleveland!

Goodbye to my Jaden cutie!

Our apartment is very similar to the one we had in Cleveland. 

from our apartment we had no idea of the destruction going on a couple of miles away to the north of us! 

Indside the Jay’s home.

The mission office in Des Moines.

Last hugs.

The Jays  yard and our first helloes to members 

 As I feared we only have one bathroom oom 

Sunday was the one year anniversary of our last baptism in Cleveland!

We get in beautiful walks in the morings.

This is Br. Gobble who's wife was baptized recently.  The Sanchez family live next to this disaster.  Most of our work in their yard was getting the neighbor's debris out to the curb.

We even got pictures put in the walls!

We had sacrament meeting, brunch and then received assignments at Church yesterday 

This is the Bishop's home.  He had a couple of big trees fall, lost a chimney and had some damage to his garage roof.

Br. Kynaston from the bishopric is an anesthesiologist.  The clinic where he works hasn't been operating, so he's been working pretty much 12 hours a day cleaning up since the tornado hit. These are our elders.  Interestly, Elder Meneses is the English speaking elder and Elder Ostergaard is the Spanish speaking elder.

I thought this roof came off of the Bandera's home, but no, its the neighbor's roof in their yard. 

Good byes 

This is the Bandera's top floor and roof across the street. Their house is in the back there minus its top.

Our apartment building.

Pretty clouds and a bird on our walk.

Across the street from the Bandera's.

Elder Quincy is happy to have a recliner!

Outside the Jay's home.

Our church.

On our way to the Steinbeck's looks like Cleveland, Texas!

This was a day without a chain saw.  Slow going taking down this tree.

The debris is piled high on the streets waiting for the city to come pick it up.

Stocking up.

This is my shot of the tornado as it heading away from us. 

Saved from the debris in the Jay's yard.

Br. Wheeler helping to cover a window with plastic at the Sanchez home.