In Like a Lion

We have had some wonderful experiences so far in this wintry land. March definitely came in like a lion. Despite the weather, it has been very inspiring to see the hand of the Lord in the events of the past week or so.

Ken, who was baptized last November, came with us to the temple last Tuesday — the first day the temple was open after their two-week closure for cleaning. Ken had the name ready for his father and names of his great-grandfather's family. It really was inspiring to be part of this great work. He was amazed at the spirit he felt, especially when he was baptized for his father. After the baptisms, we took a tour of the sacred grove together. It was cold, but the spirit of the Lord warmed our souls.

Also of note is the fun we are having helping a certain man with his family research. As family history consultants for the branch, we get to work with members and non-members. This particular man is one we know from our work at the local churches' ecumenical Sunday meals for the disadvantaged people. Don is always there helping with the cleanup, washing dishes, etc. Shauna usually goes every week as well. I go a little less often, but still enjoy visiting with Don in this way. He found out that we run the family history library of the branch here and expressed an interest in getting help on his family work. He has a lot of involvement with his family groups and looked for help in getting it organized better. He has come to our library a couple of times and we really enjoy listening to his stories and helping him get the information recorded in FamilySearch.

As you can see, we still have winter upon us. A strong "nor-easter" hit last week and dumped about 10 inches of heavy snow here. The biggest problem was the winds, tree damage and loss of power for many of the people in the state of New York. We did not lose any power, but many of the branch members had power out for as much as 24-30 hours.

The last picture is a view from the front of our church parking lot across the valley. There is a corn field which covers most of the view, but they started building new apartments and homes in the area. One of our former members gave a prophecy years ago that someday there would be homes there and that the bishop of the Hornell Ward (when it becomes a ward) would be from those homes. We have high hopes for our Branch! The Lord is blessing us here.