Another busy Preparation Day

Thursday- Oct 24, 2013
                                     Got up and walked. Here are our Autumn pictures.

Elder Harris had to buy this jacket, I think he is homesick for the deer hunt.

Here is our daughter, Kisti-Jo Christensen snoozing at the deer hunt in Blanding Oct. 26, 2013.  Just like Elder Harris last year at the deer hunt.  Does this bring memorizes to you Dad- Elder Harris?

Bradley and his boys, Teagen & Kavan the Monday after the deer hunt roasting hot dogs at Dodge. Megan taking the picture with her phone. Ya have to love it!!!

Sister Harris walking, love these pictures of the Autumn leaves.

We are finally having the autumn leaves in Carthage, Illinois.

 Then at 9:30 am got my flu and Hepatitis shots.  Then drove to Nauvoo and met with  President Gilliland for a 6 Month interview at 11:00 am.  Then we went and practice our new part at the Cultural Hall with Sister Germer.  Then we went and cleaned the Grove signs because it is our district turn to do it this week and we told them we would do it.  Then we went to the Temple which was a peaceful beautiful time.  Then we went and gutted & carved pumpkins.  Here are some fun pictures Elder Harris and Sister Harris took.

 Here the men are gutting the pumpkins.  Sister Harris did this a lot before she started to carving her pumpkin.  There are about 3 or 4 people that draw all the faces on the 500 pumpkins that we started to do on Thursday.  On Saturday night, Oct. 26, 2013 all the pumpkins are lined up and down the Mulhuland street where all the stores are.  The pumpkins are lit up and then their is a parade of town people dressed up in their Halloween costumes and they walk down the street.  I guess a few years back the missionaries started this tradition and it is still going on.  It is called "The Halloween Walk". The Mission buys all the pumpkins and do most the work in preparing the pumpkins but some town people came and helped.  We the missionaries donate all the candy and put into bags, we had about 500 bags of candy to hand out.  We had about 700 bags of kettle corn, which people loved but we did run out of the kettle corn.  They have a big pot that they cook it right their by the road.  People walk all over the streets and look at all the pumpkins. I have never seen anything like this in my life.   All the pumpkins have candles and are lit up.  At the end of the parade the Mission horses are pulling a wagon which have missionaries on it playing funny instruments and singing.  The wagon is decorated and had lights all over it.  They are all dressed up and Elder Harris was with them and he played a noise maker like a horn, but he left the camera in Elder Ballards truck.  No pictures of this night.   I knew I should have brought my phone. Sister Harris and Sister Ballard wore our fancy hates and capes over our coats and past out Christmas fliers.  We are having a Christmas tree lighting and live Nativity and Caroling and inviting the town people to join us. When we ran out of fliers we gave bags of candy to everyone.  It was a fun night.
                     
  Here is Sister Broadbent and Sister Harris carving their pumpkins.

Here is Sister Harris's pumpkin she carved.

                  Sister Brockbank and Sister Petersen and behind or Elder & Sister Scott. Look at the detail on these pumpkins.  I have never seen such fancy pumpkins in my life.

                 Here are some more people working on the pumpkins.  It was so fun!!!!

Elder Harris showing the finished pumpkins.

These pumpkins are awesome!!

                            All the pumpkins are done with different paintings, it is unreal.

 I just love this one.  I wanted all our grandchildren to see that may be they could copy some of these faces when they carve their pumpkins.  

This one has so much detail. We also have FM workers that aren't missionaries working on this project also.

Sorry these are blurry.  The pumpkins in the wagon are ready to take to the Mulhuland Street, to line the streets. 

           It is amazing of this project!!!! and to think they do this ever year close to Halloween.
Sister Ballard and I went to the Messiah practice at 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm then with our husbands we drove to Carthage.  Tired-  Night all!!!