Dear family and friends,

   Today is a beautiful, sunny day, one that we can go help people and preach the gospel.  Aren't we ever so lucky!

   We have been working our entire mission to help out Rosina.  She came out to church Sun. and had a huge confrontation with the branch Pres. He scolded her for not coming to church very often, and since she was moving she couldn't get any assistance from the branch. I was a little upset on how he handled the whole situation. I pray all our work will not change things inasmuch as she left pretty upset, and I doubt she will come back to church. She finally has a place to move to, it was approved last week for section 8 for the poor (government housing), if it doesn't just blow up in her face.  She definitely needs to get out of her area, too many killings, robberies, and drug dealings going on there.  We are all praying for her!

   Yesterday we took her out to the cemetery with some flowers. She had two sons that were buried there. They had been murdered four years ago, not at the same time but four years apart.  She has been through so much, we worry about leaving her. She still claims she is coming to Utah when her lease is up on this apt.  (We'll see if she even gets it now.)

     Yesterday our four missionaries had time off till 5:00 and wanted to go to the mall. They showed us their true colors when they were all together having fun. We saw the 18 year old side of them instead of the confident missionaries  they always are.  Maybe their serious side would be a better word. They had us laughing so hard, it was a sweet time for all of us. Today back to bigger and better things.

  Last week I tended Enoch again for a couple of days. He is a darling little boy but, when I stay home with him I sure miss out on going around with the elders.  They are still working on two investigators. Looks like at least one of them will be baptized, not sure about the young 9 year old.  We had them, (the missionaries) for dinner again Sun. those elders sure can consume the food.  We leave for the Manhattan Temple tomorrow. We are so excited to go! We are going on a bus, there is very little parking up there. It should be a wonderful experience and we'll tell you about it in the next email.

    Sure do love and miss all of you. Hope life is going smooth for all of you. I guess when school lets out next week your summers will be busier.  We are all so blessed, it is shown more strongly every day as we live back here. I pray Karl and I remember this lesson we've learned back here. We have so many comforts in Utah.

      Our love to all of you, and again appreciation for your calls, letters, gifts and encouragement.  You are all the best!

      Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Elder & Sister Armstrong,

                                    Karl & Joyce

Joyce, Rosina and Raymir at her son's graves. They were murdered several years ago

       

Dear Family & Friends,

   We were in the car all day yesterday taking people to dental, doctor and  buying shoes for the one Elder.  Then he ended up not getting any. Guess we'll try again, anyway, that is why we didn't get an email off yesterday.

   Today Karl has the 4 Elders to take around so guess who gave up her front seat? 

Maybe today I can catch up on emails.

   We appreciate hearing from all of you. Our mission and places in life are all so varied. We love knowing what is going on in others lives, for sure we can all find plenty to keep us busy!

   Things have slowed up a lot in Frankford. The missionaries are getting a little discouraged.  They do a lot of knocking and inter netting but not a lot of come back appointments right now, don't know if it is summer or what, even game night has backed off in attendance.  

   We do have two baptisms set up for the end of the month, not completely sure they are ready, but then, who are we to judge,  We see so many of the first people we worked with that were baptized getting less and less attentive at church.  Seems like they love the missionaries that baptize them then when they get transferred they don't get the attention they are use to.  That is where Karl and I should pick up, but, most of our service back here is running people to different places they have to go, as you know there are very few cars in this branch.  At least they are getting to their Dr. and other appointments.

   It has freed up Karl's time quite a bit since Josephine got a car. We are happy for her, now if we could just get Rosina a place to live, we keep trying.

   Next week we are going with the Senior Missionaries to New York to the temple. That will be real wonderful to get to go through that temple before we go home.  We are taking a bus up there, so far there are six couples going.  We'll report on it when we do the trip.

   Marisole is having a BD dinner for me tomorrow night. She is very attentive and so kind to do it.  Thanks for all the cards, gifts and reminders that life is going way toooo fast, that includes our mission.  You keep us so inspired to do our best back here, what would we do without friends and family!

   Hope all is going well in everyone's family. Every family has a load to carry, everyone is trying their best and working hard to keep it going.  We all need to know that Heavenly Father won't give us more than we are able to bear.  We are proud of all of you!  We send our love and know our prayers are always with all of you!       

Elder & Sister Armstrong               Mom & Dad

               Grandma & Grandpa           Karl & Joyce

             

     

Dear Family & Friends,

   Hope all the "WOMEN" had a wonderful MOTHER'S DAY!  We missed all of you but thank goodness for telephones.  We got to talk to every one of our KIDS.  That is the most wonderful MOTHER'S DAY  gift I could ever ask for.  Thank you so very much for all the remembrances and love.  My most precious gift is my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, my husband and the gospel.  Heavenly Father has certainly made my cup runeth over! 

      We have had a wonderful week. Sat. we took two cars filled with members to Washington DC Temple.  What a temple, and a wonderful experience to get to go again before we leave. We took Tim & Marisol Hatchet down for their first time. They got to do baptisms, and also had their daughter with them and really enjoyed the experience.  Their daughter had never been outside of Philly.  We got to do a session and help in the baptistery, doing confirmations, Karl as a witness and I was handing out towels. 

   I had forgotten how beautiful this temple is and how much I miss working in the temple, we sure want to get back into it when we get home!

   We left at 9 in the morning and got home at 11 pm. We are so blessed to have our temple so close by, we've learned many lessons back here, one of them is how close we are to conveniences at home.  I hope we will remember all the positive things that we have so missed and learned here in the mission field.  Being so close to a temple is certainly one of them!!

   The Hatchet's had us over for Mother's Day dinner, they fixed a lovely meal, they also had the four missionaries there.  The missionaries gave we two mothers a special tribute and then they had me bear my testimony!  My heart was very full, because I missed all of you so much, but truly I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. It has made me so appreciative of all the blessings I've been given,(and have surely taken most of them for granted) anyway, please all of you know of the love and appreciation we have for your love, kindness, encouragement, help and prayers. They have made this an experience that has helped us grow and become so aware of all we've been given and helped with.  YOU ARE ALL THE VERY BEST, thank you so very much for being behind us!

          We love you all, Elder & Sister Armstrong

                                    Mom & Dad

                                    Grandpa & Grandma

                                     Karl & Joyce

                              

     Spring has sprung, the weather is beautiful, and things are going well in Philly. We had a wonderful regional conference last week, it was for the eastern states, so I doubt any of you saw it. We went to Pennypak ward to see it. (about 10 miles away) and took some of our branch members with us. It was nice not to hold services in our branch, gave us a little break from trying to get speakers etc, and hear from the general authorities in Salt Lake. Afterwards we had pot luck dinner, which turned out pretty good. We took a pasta salad. It was funny though. A man kept sneaking into the line to get another plate, which  I thought was for his family, but he went to a table in the rear and starting eating each plate by himself. I thought for sure they would run out of food, but they barely made it, and after the man got filled up, he went into the kitchen and got foil so he could take anything left home with him.

     We had a transfer this week, our best Elder, Elder Long left us. He plays the guitar and has really touched a lot of people as he plays and sings to them. He has a jam session, so to speak, with a member’s husband who plays the drums and percussion in a Latin band. They just came back from Colombia on a tour, and we are trying to get him interested in the church. He is really nice to us, but not in the Church.  Elder Long had those who he is teaching sign his guitar, and it was covered with signatures, but didn’t ask us. We are so hurt! Just kidding.

     We went to a members house and her boyfriend was laying on the couch with his leg all bandaged up. He said he was outside the night before and a hooded guy pulled a gun and started shooting. He could have been killed, but only got hit in the leg. Also our dependent lady Rosina, who takes up most of our time in service chasing her all over the city for this and that, asked us if we would take her to the cemetery on the anniversary of her one son’s murder, but she couldn’t remember where the cemetery was. We drove for two hours, gave up and took her back home. Anyway, the night before two men broke into her house with guns, put one in the mouth of a neighbor lady who was there and robbed them. They didn’t get much though, there isn’t anything of value in their houses. They got a few dollars and some cell phones. Rosina was yelling at her kids, (she always has some there sponging of her, since none of them work), to call the police, but they either went in the basement to hide or something like that, she really gave them a peace of her mind which only Rosina can do. She is called the pit bull, and this name fits her perfectly. She is the one who says she is moving to Utah with us when we leave. We have been helping her get government housing and I only hope it come through before we leave, so she can get out of that neighborhood.  

     One of our inactive member’s sons, who we are teaching but has not yet been baptized, got in trouble with the law and has been in home confinement. He finally had a hearing with the judge and we were shocked to hear that they sentenced him to six years. He is only 14 years old, seems to be a good kid, a little rowdy, but normal for that age group, at least around here. So goes the people in the Frankford branch.

     We had a good fast Sunday, but few showed up. There were less than 10 members other than the leadership. Joyce had 3 kids but I had to take two of them home because they wouldn’t cooperate and were so angry in being here because they missed their favorite TV show. Of course their mother wasn’t there, she has only been to church once during our entire mission. The neat thing was that 3 of the members bore their testimony. They were only a minute or two long, but the first time in their life that they had done this and stood up in front of the congregation. A couple of them had to get help from the leadership as to what to say, but at least they did it.

     Richard, our bi-polar member who hates the world, is mad again. He calls me daily to complain about anything and everything. He walked in after church was over and wanted to have it out with President Burno because he went out of the meeting several months ago when Richard was giving a talk. (He had just moved in and this was the only meeting he has been to) Anyway everyone was just leaving to go home, which made him mad and says he won’t ever come to church again. He will call me tomorrow with another story though, so I don’t worry much about what He says.

     Despite the challenges, we love the people, love going with the Elders, love playing taxi cab driver, love keeping the peace, baby-sitting, going for food orders, holding bible study and game night, taking people to the hospital and doctor’s appointments, and in doing the Lord’s work in the Frankford Branch. Joyce’s back is starting to feel better since she fell, and is coming out on appointments when she can. She has been sewing and making quilts to give away and is enjoying doing that when she stays at home.

     We love you all, have a great day. Our time is now less than two months, as our release date is the end of June. We are planning a temple trip to both Washington D.C. and Manhattan Temples in the next couple of weeks with the other Senior Couples and also with our Missionaries, who are now allowed to go with members to do baptisms. It doesn’t look like they will be replacing us with another Missionary Couple, so we need to figure out what to do with our apartment and more important, how this little branch is going to survive without a taxi.               

Love, the Armstrong’s