Weeks 56 - 67

 July 25 - October 13, 2023

Luke 2:52 was the theme of our classes this summer. We tried something new, that we won't do again, by starting each class with a dinner. This definitely brought out the crowds. The picture above is of our last class held in the chapel across from the Columbus Ohio Temple. Some of the students hung around afterwards to snap this photo. The picture below is Elder Perona leading one of the class discussions.

Our YSA testimony building activity in September was a trip to Kirtland Ohio to visit the church historic sites. Afterwards a few of us went up to the beach on lake Erie for a picnic.

We love having the Kirtland visitor sites and Johnson and Morley farms as part of our mission. Those we bring have the opportunity to see and feel what it was like in the early days of the restoration of the church. Some of us went to the newly dedicated Joseph and Emma Smith home near the Kirtland temple. They were amazing people doing incredible things, sacrificing all that they had for the building of the kingdom of God on earth.

The newly restored Joseph and Emma Smith house was dedicated by Elder Bednar on the 26th of August 2023 (see news article here). 

We love every opportunity we have to see John and Cindy Sowards (Sister Perona's first cousins). They are serving as historical missionaries in the Kirtland, Ohio area. They took us and some of our Young Adults on a tour of the John Johnson home where Joseph Smith received many of the early revelations for the the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ once again upon the earth.

On one of our preparation days we served at a stake primary event. Our job was to teach two scriptures and to man the balloon dart board game at the carnival that followed the spiritual events.

Brother Talentino serves in the YSA 2 ward bishopric. He has taken a fancy to our Italian roots. Come to find out his Italian family originated about five miles from ours in Piedmont Italy! It's a small world after all. Brother Talentino brings us specialized Italian beverages that he gets from an Italian store near Cleaveland, Ohio. He is so generous.

Okay, some of you may think this is "corny" (and yes I said that), but we think it really is, because these huge concrete corn cobs fill this field. It was the Sabbath and we were on our way back from one of the two wards we attend each week. I tried, but I could not pick any of this corn and there were no Pharisees around to call us out for working on Sunday - LOL.

The ward members said that we absolutely had to attend an official OSU home game before we left Ohio. So last year we purchased tickets for the cheapest game we could find. To our surprise it happened to be the first home game of the year and the one where the alumni bands join the Ohio State University marching band and create four "Ohio Script" formations and "dot the I". We did not realize that this was a big event here. The bishop of the YSA 1st ward and his wife came down and showed us the ropes of how to participate. They took us to the "Skull Session" prior to the game in the adjacent arena. We did not realize that football is the "state religion"! (see prior blog posts with their cathedral-like entrance with stained-glass windows). BTW those buckeye necklaces we are wearing were made by the bishop who initiated us into the game.

On Thursdays this fall semester we are teaching the Eternal Family institute class. One of the service sister missionaries who helps at the institute draws fantastic notes on the board prior to class. They are great memory joggers for the visual learner. This dear sister also helps with food preparation and we love having her around especially when she plays beautiful piano music while we prepare for the evening lesson.

Sister Perona wants to make certain that we feed our YSAs and missionaries with fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid chemical additives as much as possible. So here we are at the Lynd farm (we went here last October for apples) picking apples in the orchards. This variety is Autumn Crisp. It made a delicious apple crisp!

One of our PhD students recently presented findings at a conference here at Ohio State. She also presented at BYU. Her area of expertise is in neck and mouth cancers. Her cohort has found genes that can be helpful in research on these cancers.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives! This young lady overcame many obstacles to being baptized by leaning upon the gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. After 7 months of applying this truth she made it to the waters of baptism. We are so pleased with her choices.

An interesting fact about Ohio is The Ohio State University. It seems that everyone in the state is a fan of OSU. One evening before we hosted a volleyball activity we walked the couple of blocks from the institute building up to campus and watched the homecoming parade. The most impressive part of the parade was the huge Ohio State University Marching Band (link showing Notre Dame game half-time at Notre Dame). There are absolutely, as they say, "the best d***n band in the land".

For each general conference we bring in the soft chairs and couches to the institute multi-purpose room and broadcast conference. Of course we supply meals and snacks throughout the five sessions. We averaged about 45 people. We had them play the Fantasy General Conference game and the winner received either a full tank of gas or the equivalent in Costco food. This conference the Sister Missionaries won and enjoyed shopping at Costco with us for their prize.

Speaking of general conference, wasn't it phenomenal? We especially enjoyed the talk given by our 99 year old prophet, Russell M. Nelson.  He reiterated that the great news of God's plan for us is that the very things that will make our mortal life the best it can be is exactly the same things that will make our life throughout all eternity the best it can be. We were counseled to adopt the practice of "thinking celestial" or being spiritually minded. The choices we make today will determine three things: where we will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which we will be resurrected, and those with whom we will live forever. So, think Celestial! 

We found out that we will have completed our mission assignment in mid-December this year. We plan to start our trek home on Monday, December 18, 2023 and drive across country with the hopes to arrive in California that Thursday (weather permitting).