P-day in Pittsburgh and Goodbyes

After serving at the hospital last Monday, we drove to Pittsburgh to Elder and Sister Marshall’s place in Oakland.  From there we drove to the PNC Park to watch the Pirates play the Mets.  Pirates won 3-1.  Elder Marshall is as big a sports enthusiast as Rod.  We ate at the stadium and had a good time together.  We stayed with the Marshalls so we could be at Greentree the next morning at 0830 for song practice with the elders.  President Summerhays requested that they sing “Praise To The Man” again for training meeting.  Training meeting started at 1000 with about 80 elders, sisters and couple missionaries.  It was the last meeting we will have with the Summerhays.  We were spiritually fed and physically fed. 

              

    Our ward was in charge of the lunch for the meeting.  They served us a delicious taco bar.  Sister Carman, Patty Johnson and Jill Chamberlain were there along with Carmen’s 4 youngest kids.  I did my part by bringing cookies and getting Emily to sleep.  Hard job. Adam, the 4 year old came in to the training meeting and sat with us.  Good training for a future missionary.

                                             

It was fun having the ward members meet all the missionaries with whom we serve.  After the lunches all the missionaries sing “Called to Serve” to the sisters who prepare and and serve the lunch.  They also sang happy birthday to those of us with birthdays this month; thus, the birthday treat I was holding. 

We will really miss the Summerhays.  Every time we see them, President Summerhays gives Rod a big hug and says, “love ya’ companion”.  He mentioned their relationship to the elders several times as an example of loving their companions and the future joy they can have as companionships.

                       

We had a good week of meeting and teaching several new less-active families and helped an active family move in with another active family moving in this week.  They will be such a strength to the ward.  The husbands are both starting ER residencies at OVMC.  We had three non-members at church and two of them are committed to hear the lessons.  The work goes forward and we appreciate all the faith and prayers extended in behalf of the work out here in the Wheeling Ward.