Just a little bit of Texas!

Beautiful sisters grandma is being baptized on the 19th.

This sister's house burned & she's staying with the sister above but she went to church with us on Sunday. She is not a member.

popcorn popping trees they are truly beautiful! I love the trees & these sisters.

Bishop's wife they spent Christmas in Logan where Bishop is from.

A strong member of the church she came to a lesson with us. She's an angel straight from heaven. Her son lives in Utah.

popcorn popping

I went to bed one night with the trees all bare & the next morning I woke up to blossoms, it really is just like the song popcorn popping on the apricot tree only I think these are called something pear trees. They are truly beautiful & it feels good to the spirit to see spring coming however it is cloudy, windy & cooler today. I just finished walking though & it felt good to feel the breeze on your face instead of hot sun. We were able to go to the temple with a lady for her first time & that's always such a thrill to have been a part of her journey. We were able to take a grandmother, her 4 granddaughters & her neighbor to church yesterday, the grandmother is going to be baptized on March 19th so that is very exciting. There is lots happening down here right now & lots more work to be done. We have been giving temple lessons to a mother, daughter & granddaughter or were baptized recently & is going to do baptisms for the dead on Sat. We are going with about 10 or 12 recently baptized people to perform baptisms, they are all so excited to do this, some we took about a month ago. The spirit was so strong that night as we watched them do their own family names they had been working on. I have our oldest grandchild having a birthday this week & I've been trying to figure out where that 25 years have gone & then my thoughts went to all the changes that have happened in our lives over those years & I guess that's why I feel tired & aged at times. I love the poem "Somebody's Mother" the first line goes the woman was old & ragged & grey & bent with the chill of a winters day. I feel like this woman at times but then at times I feel like the young girl this woman was a few years early.  Life is wonderful & I'm so thankful for all the memories I have of years gone by, the good times & the bad times have helped shape me & made me who I am today. Each one of you out there can do the same thing in your lives. Happy birthday Oliver I love you & think of all the fun times you had with grandpa, I see him in you a lot especially as I look at your hands & your love for fishing & hunting. My thought for today, the love of family & the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth & privilege---Charles Kuralt.  My scripture is to read the book of Enos this week. I love you & pray all is going well in your lives for now.  Sister Putnam

HELLO WALLS

Just was looking at my last blog & seen the picture of the lady hugging the wall, it made me laugh at what brought this picture about. I lived with this lady 14 or 15 mts in her home. She let the senior missionaries stay with her. I love to sing when I'm alone so I was just singing my heart out & didn't know she was there. She asked me what I was singing I told her "Hello Walls" she started laughing & wouldn't believe that it was a song so she preceded to look it up on good old google. So every time she talks to me or sees me she starts singing " Hello Walls." The FHE group I used to go to when I lived in Plano invited me up one night to their home evening & of course she ended my night by singing "Hello Walls" then she goes to the ceiling & windows. It always makes me laugh but it still happens to be one of my favorite country songs. People I know down here don't listen to country music so maybe I'll just keep it a secret that they don't know what they're missing out on. I still keep singing & sometimes I  catch myself still singing "Hello Walls." It reminds me again that you can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl & I'm okay with that because I love my country roots. In case some of you out there don't know me well I also don't care to know big words, I'm just happy with knowing little words & my favorite one is LOVE. I guess you could say I like simple things. Well it's P Day & I'm so ready for that except we have to go into Dallas & take soup to a sick lady so our day doesn't last too long. I love being able to serve others. Life is good & I'm thankful for the gift of another day here on this earth. Have a great Monday & spend some time with your family tonight for FHE. My thought: I am in competition with no one. I have no desire to play the game of being better than anyone. I am simple trying to be better than the person I was yesterday. I don't know where that comes from but it's in my little book of thoughts. My scripture is found in D & C 59:5. For today I my heart will be filled with love for all mankind. Sister Putnam

Help someone find their way

I've had a couple of down days dealing with strip throat so I've been hanging close to home. I certainly don't want to give anyone this junk. I'm rather sad as I was suppose to go to AA with a gentleman tonight who has been sober for 10 yrs. But instead I'm writing to you guys & my 2 companions went.  His wife is the one we were able to teach & she was baptized but we can't get him to quit smoking & he's happy being a Baptist so that's fine for now & we'll just keep working on him. I love him lots & he needs to quit smoking for his own health. I've walked to the mailbox a couple of times today, washed my sick sheets & done a lot of studying in the New Testament. I don't know if I've mentioned before but I sure do love our Savior & am so glad he is so patient. My thought for tonight: I met a stranger in the night whose lamp had ceased to shine. I paused & let him light his lamp from mine. A tempest sprang up later on and shook the world about. And when the wind was gone my lamp was out! But back to me the stranger came-his lamp was glowing fine! He held the precious flame and lighted mine! author unknown. I love this because each of us at sometime in our lives seem to get lost & someone finds us. Lets see if we can help someone else find their way again.
The scripture is found in Alma 28:14 & Isaiah 60:19. Just a month from today my daughters will land in the big state of Tx. I think I've mentioned how time seems to fly by. See ya when the roses bloom & don't forget someone in Texas loves ya'll. Sister Putnam

Just a few people I love & the moon in the good old state of Texas!

My companions

This dear companion left this morning to go home to Australia. I love her & learned so much from all these sisters. 

This sister left yesterday to return home to Canada. We walked each morning we were together & picked up lots of trash.

 This sister is also leaving for CA. We served in the same district for quite awhile. She also taught me a lot.

I seen this cereal for the first time since I came to TX. it so reminded me of Putter so I bought a box. It was his favorite. 

All my companions except for the one I'm serving with now has gone home. I feel sad & alone but I know this companion will never leave me except by my own choice. Hope to always have him as the center of my life. He has been so patient with me throughout my life & has stood beside me the last two years & always. He has helped me over some hard rough spots & is still trying to work on my rough spots. He's certainly trying hard to shine me up like a diamond. I've had some pretty rough edges. I humbly thank Him for my life & all the many experiences I've had & continue to have. I thank him for his atonement in my behalf that I may return back to my heavenly home with my Heavenly Father. I think he's had to put in some overtime helping me out. Please keep your prayers coming to TX & together we will return with honor HOME...Sister Putnam!!

TWO MORE FULL MOONS

As I was walking looking at the moon the other night it came to my mind that only two more full moons & I'll be heading back towards Utah & some dearly missed mountains & people. Then a sad feeling came over me that I might never see some of these dearly loved people in TX again. This is going to be another very hard thing to do, leaving Tx but then I've already learned over the past two years that I can do some very hard things for me anyway. I guess if we all look back over our lives everyone has overcome hard things it's a good thing we can't see in front of us cause I'm sure there's some hard things waiting for us. I guess we all just better enjoy today & I certainly have. It has finally warmed up a bit here in Tx to 55 however I'm not sending my long johns home yet.  The missionary work is going good for us we are teaching lots of people in different things such as temple prep classes, investigators lessons & today we hunted people down who the ward has not been able to find yet. It's pretty hard to find people that don't want to be found.  There's been 6 of us senior missionaries with the same calling I have, two left last Tuesday for Florida & Riverdale, Ut, two more leave this coming Tuesday for Canada & Australia & we leave in March for CA & good old Randolph UTAH.  I met a lady yesterday who ask where I was from? I told her a small town in Utah (Randolph) she said I knew an elder in Bermuda over 45 yrs ago who was from out there. She was visiting her sister who lived there & these two elders were there  working on their bikes, it just happened it was my brother. Now this has happened many times while I've been out here, there is always someone that knows someone I know. It truly is a small world. Life is good & I'm truly thankful to be in Tx on a mission for The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. I can't remember if I thanked everyone for the many Christmas cards, money & letters I received but I truly appreciate all of them. I'm so sorry I just don't have time to send thank you cards I'm really thrilled if I can just get a few hours of sleep.  My thought: Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls & looks like work---Thomas Edison. My scripture is found in D&C 33: 12-18. I love ya all & pray all is well with your families & yourselves. May the Dear Lord continue to bless us & keep us all in His care. Sister Putnam

A little down time

Well we have survived a tornado, gushing rain fall & it was cloudy on Christmas Eve so I couldn't see the moon. I've been told there will not be another full moon on Christmas for 19 years, my chances of being around for that one isn't too great or I just might not know what the moon is at that time. Things are great here in the big state of Texas & time is marching right along. We've been teaching some more investigators & I think barring any unforeseen complications we will have another baptism on the 17th. Transfers came & went with some of our great elders getting transferred, I missed this one oh ya there's no one to be transferred with because 2 leave the 28th & 2 more the 4th of Feb so that just leaves my companion & I till March. It's sad to think we'll probably never see some of them again unless of course I go to Australia, Canada, CA, FL or UT. We had some cancelations today so that's how come I get a little down time, I must say if feels pretty good. I can't understand why when you could have a little rest ya can't but on a normal day sometimes I get so sleepy I'd give anything to lay down. I walked this morning in a mist you couldn't see very far in front of you & now tonight it's clouding up I heard someone say it's supposed to snow on Sunday or Monday. I've got my long johns on so I'm ready except they said ICE, now that's a whole different story. My thought: I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year. "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, go out into the darkness & put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light & safer than a known way." Author unknown.  The scripture is found in Alma 38: 9-15.

This couple worked in the Ogden Temple with my sister, brother-in-law & two of my nieces & their husbands. It truly is a small world.