Hi everyone, 

We enjoy hearing from each of you including our Missionary friends from Nauvoo and Rochester Missions. Hope you aren't snowed in. Most of the storm missed us except for freezing rain and about 3 inches of snow. Everything is still about the same however. We proselyte with the missionaries, teach the inactivates, encourage them to do family history, try to get them to give a talk in church (to no avail), attend presidency meetings at the branch, branch counsel and PEC, pick up as many members as we can and who will come to church, then start Sac. meeting with about 6 people present, and then when the meeting is half over, another 15 or so will show up. After mtg, we make out the donations, and then make out the welfare checks for the members who can't pay their rent, water, power, and gas bills.

 On Tuesday night, we hold bible study at the church, and sometimes we get people off the street to join us along with a few members. Friday night is game night, we usually play UNO. Anyway, that is our usual week, plus go to New Jersey, (about 50 miles) to pick up food orders at the Bishops Storehouse. 

   This week we got a new assignment. Josephine, (our primary president who went to BYU, sang with Young Ambassadors, and married a white member, who later divorced her and left her with one child), had her only car break down, and had no way to get to her teaching job at the school, so we pick her up each morning, take her  to work, and her son Enoch to preschool. We then pick them up in the afternoon in between lessons with the missionaries. Anyway her son came down with viral pneumonia, so for the past week we have been his baby sitter as well. We forgot what being a parent is all about.  I cheated however, and left Sister Armstrong with him while I carried on our usual missionary day. 

  We also had to take Rosina to the Hospital, where she stayed for about three days. She is pretty well bedridden at home at the moment. We still need to find her housing and get her on a government program to help pay her rent, water, gas ect. as soon as she gets better. She is the one who has had eighteen or so kids, who are all grown up, but about five of them plus their street friends sit around her house and watch TV all day. (some of them use drugs I think, and the house is always filled with smoke, which is sickening)

   Brenda, Kay John, and Tammy, who haven't been to church since Brenda got married to Kay John, (we think they got married), and Tammy, (who received  her endowments in the D.C. temple), decided to move out of the Branch, so I volunteered to move their fridge and washer out, (which the church members from another ward donated) and then give them to other members who are in need. It took most of the day just to get them out of their apartment. We had to remove doors, take the appliances apart, and by using some muscle from a disfellowshipped returned missionary and his room mates,(who got into trouble after his mission, and is trying to get reactivated), helped me move them if I would pay him $20 and then give him the Fridge! which I did. Then Brenda asked me to rent her a U Haul truck to move their stuff, since they didn't have any money and no drivers licence, but I just walked away and didn't follow through since I didn't want the liability and the expense. The Branch president and Clerk tell me I am too nice, and need to toughen up with these people, so I took their advice. 

   We are going to Utah and Calif this week. We leave on Weds and get back the next Wed. My sister in St. George is dying of cancer, and I want to see her one last time. We then go to Calif for our grandaughter's wedding, who recently returned home from a mission in Rochester. (The Walkers knew her up there). It will be a nice break, unless we get spoiled with a new, soft life, Ha,Ha. 

    Two of our Elder's got transferred, so we had a going away dinner for them last night, (didn't watch the super bowl of course). We really learned to love and appreciate them, but I am sure the new one's will be the same. We take them to the mission home tomorrow, and bring the new ones back. 

    I want to thank those who sent us gift cards, we used some of them for my Birthday, (yea I turned 74) and took the missionaries out. Thanks, you saved me over $100.00 at Applebee's. I also want to thank Curt and Alisa for letting us use some of their sky miles to go to Calif. You all do too much. Anyway Dee just called and wants me to get her sack of food that was left at the Church, and then take her to the Bank, so I'll leave Joyce with the rowdy, sick, Enoch, who is tearing the place apart, and say goodbye for now. 

Love Ya all, Elder and Sister Armstrong