My Turn

Sister Harris wants me to write in the blog.  All right--here it is.  I love to meet people and get acquainted with them.  I love to share my testimony and to feel the Spirit.  I have read just about everything I can put my hands on concerning the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum.  I have come to understand that there are many cultural, maybe even mythological stories concerning the martyrdom that may have some elements of truth but certainly do not receive church historical support as to accuracy or authenticity--yet they persist and people want the missionaries to validate them.  I just say "that is a story--it may or may not be true but it is not in the historical record we are to tell."   They just go away thinking how dumb we missionaries are not to know these wonderful old stories.  The people here in Carthage are friendly to us, but the proselyting missionaries do not make any headway at all.  There are only a handful of Latter-day Saints here--they go to church in Nauvoo.  Many of our very good friends finish their mission this week and go home.  I think they should all stay and we could all go home together.  We have an early missionwide breakfast on the end of each month to say goodby--there will be a lot of tender eyes in the morning.

Farmers are harvesting their corn and soybeans.  Even though it has been a dry summer, the corn is still producing above average because of the wet spring.  Soybeans are suffering from the lack of water and are not producing so well.  I would love to get on a combine and ride around with some of these guys.

We are gonna half to clear out of this lovely apartment and move into a little house that is about as old as the jail itself.  Talk about making sacrifices for the work!!!!!!

Love you all----Elder Harris