Sunday, June 29, 2014

We have just completed our FIRST WEEK here in Peachtree City, GA.  It has been a wonderful week with a LOT of things happening.....busy, crazy but all good.

As we left High Point, NC on Monday morning we drove down to Charlotte and met up with Paul and Danette Garrett.  They were so sweet and invited us to a 'working lunch' at their home.  We got to catch up for a minute.  They will be retiring the end of July and probably be heading out on a mission of their own!  Yea for them!!

We arrived on Monday evening, June 23rd, at our apartment around 7:30 p.m.  How fun to finally be 'home'!!!

The Elders met us here to give us our keys and even helped unload our car.

Elder Post carried the WHOLE clothes rod in the house!!  

His companion, Elder Thompson, and Elder Post made the move-in so easy!

Our First Meal in our new home......provided by Elder and Sister Rose.....left for us to have something!  Bless their hearts.

On Tuesday afternoon we had a meeting at the GA Atlanta Mission Home and met with President and Sister Harding.  What wonderful folks they are.  Made us feel right at home.

We will call PEACHTREE CITY our home for the next two years!

We have collected quite a bit of trash this week.  Found out where the local dumpster is.  Really easy to use and within walking distance of our apartment.

One of the local GROCERY STORES where I suspect I will shop off is this PUBLIX.  Great store....similar to Wegman's at home.

Seeing as how this is the 'typical' mode of transportation in Peachtree City, these signs are ALL OVER the City!  And they are so cute and look so fun......

I got to use our new GRILL that Joe and Ginny Lambdin recommended to us to get.  It has come in handy already.  I made Paninin Bologna and Cheese Sandwiches for dinner.  Great little machine.

A collage of our walk out on the trails Saturday night.  You can see that the cart were definitely in the MAJORITY!!!  Keep an eye to the Path!

We are in the WHITE WATER WARD.  Great ward.  We enjoyed being there today.  It seems to be a young ward.  I am sure we will enjoy our time here.

And with this.......I will conclude my report of our first week in our new Mission Field.  Looks like a busy week coming up!!!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

As we left chilly Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday morning and flew home, we were able to stop in Frederick at the Olive Garden to meet Tina, Kristyn and Elinn, Emma and Matthew for some quality family time and dinner.  The other kids were all gone doing other things.....i.e. campouts and beach trips and trips to Utah.

Saturday morning the TASK became a 'reality' as we began to pack our little Honda CR-V!!!  Miracles DO happen......and my MIXER!!!

THIS is what we were hoping to get in the car.....plus the stacks of clothes folded and ready to load.

 And here is PROOF that we made it!!!!

And.....

And.....

After a very, VERY rainy drive down through Virginia, we finally made it to the outer limits of our mission boundaries~~~ NORTH CAROLINA,  sweet HOME~

First stop was to Gene's for a GROUND STEAK SANDWICH.....

 ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT, the very best there is to be had!!!

Did I mention was a MISERABLE rainy drive it was to get to North Carolina.  Would NOT have wanted to be these guys on motorcycles.

Sunday morning brought us to the Mt. Airy Ward where my parents attended church.  Still a LOT of familiar faces there and great to see them.  Sharon (my 1st cousin) and her husband Lester were at church so we got to visit with them.  SO good to see them.

John Bradley was there in the ward.  Good to catch up with him too.  We got to see his mother.  His father was on a High Council speaking assignment.  Great friends.

As we headed down the road to Kernersville Ward, we drove past our beloved PILOT MOUNTAIN!  Love that Mountain!!!

While visiting the Kernersville Ward we got to see another 1st cousin, Aleta, and her husband.  How fun to catch up with them as well.

Polly and Wayne McNeill were there as well.  This is the chapel (at least the new chapel) where I was baptized at age 8...and we were in the Colfax Ward.

The church cemetery is out back of the chapel.  We visited there so we could see Annie Gay and Herman's grave site.  I haven't been here in a LONG time either!!

Such wonderful memories as we began our mission today!!!  I have a feeling I (or WE) are going to LOVE this mission.  We feel sooooo blessed.

Sunday, June 14, 2014......Finishing our First Week in the MTC Provo, Utah.

It has been a wonderful week here in the MTC Provo!  There is always such a sweet, wonderful spirit here that can't be felt anywhere else.  Only experience and the spirit will help you feel these things.  We really feel every member of the Church should experience this at least once in their lifetime.

We entered the MTC on Monday.  Andy brought us up and dropped us off on his way to work.  Kevin tried to make it but was tied up with work.  We have such wonderful children!  ALL of them.

We stopped in the first line to get our missionary tags!  Feels so good to have them on again!

And we are OFFICIALLY Full-Time Missionaries again.

Uncle Mel and Aunt Denise were there to meet and greet us.  Uncle Mel (President Marion) is the Branch President here at the MTC of the 14th Branch.

We were divided up into Districts of the Senior Missionary Group that arrived this week (41 couples).  This is our District.....L to R:  Johnson (Friendsville, MD), Hensley's (St. George, UT), Myles (SLC), Allgaier (Brunswick, MD)

We finally got a chance to unpack in our room.....

We had a GREAT room this time!  So much nicer than the last time.

NO trip to the MTC is complete without a foto opportunity at THE world map!

Love this Statue on the MTC Campus....missionaries on their bikes.

We were able to go out to dinner one evening with the GROBERG'S and MICHIE'S!  How fun to see all of them again....we all served in the Finland Helsinki Temple Mission together from 2009-2011.

Elder Allgaier trying to catch up on a little email!  Don't let the younger Missionaries see this!  They don't get to do this type of thing!

Have to add a beautiful SUNSET here in the west while we have them.

And the equally beautiful SUNRISE!  Will miss these when we get to Georgia!

We have a Senior Missionary Group Foto taken on the 2nd day.  This is the first half.....we are seated/standing directly in the middle.....half court (or 50-yard line).

Elder and Sister Bean are the AMA's headed to the southern part of the area we will be covering in the NorthAmerica SouthEast Area.  They will be located in Florida.

We got to 'sneak' out again for Dinner with Kevin and the boys.  Lauren and Ele were attending their Stake Girls Camp for the week and were gone.  How fun it was to be with them and see them again!

They wanted to eat at the Pizza Pie Cafe.  Really a GREAT selection of food.

When they brought us back to the MTC after dinner we took another foto op with the boys.

Elder Allgaier chatting with our instructor, Brother Jacobs, and a member of our District, Elder Hensley.  Elder Hensley developed bells palsy while here this week.

Wayne forgot his ties at home, except the one he was wearing!!!  I was getting tired of seeing that RED tie.  Our instructor, Brother Jacobs, took his tie off and gave it to Elder Allgaier and told him to wear it.....they 'traded' for the day.  He is such a great instructor....great young man!  We felt so blessed to have him this week.

Elder Thomas was the Senior Missionary Coordinator.  What a great man he is!!!  He is friends with Mel and Denise, and also one of their neighbors.  We LOVE him too!!!

We call these 'THE PEARLY GATES' through which we went back and forth every day for our Preach My Gospel Training.  Our meeting were held in the chapel just off the MTC Campus.  We had to have our keys to get through those gates.  Fun experiences!!

Meanwhile, back home in Maryland, we had another SUPER STORM which dumped about 6 -  7 inches of rain in Brunswick.  Yup....another flooded basement (partial).  I was trying to deal with that AND attend our MTC Classes at the same time.  It was a bit stressful at times.  Thank goodness for Steven and Elinn and their family!  They were our 'rescuers'!!!  Could not have stayed here to do this without their help on the home-front!

David flew through Salt Lake on his way from Florida back to Shanghai, China.  He had a few hours lay-over.  We got to see him for about 2 hours.  It was good to see him.

This morning (Saturday) we checked out of the Provo MTC.....we are headed to SL for Medical training.

LOVE the autographed tie Brother Jacobs gave Elder Allgaier!  Bless his heart!!

Beautiful day walking around on Temple Square!!