Round Three--Apartment Inspections

I mentioned to Gary that I prefer inspecting the apartments of the missionaries in our Zone.  We know them and about their work so it is comfortable to talk with them in their homes about their apartment but also about their work and their families.  However, it is fun to drive in other parts of the mission and to meet other missionaries, too.

On Thursday, the 6th, we did the north route going to Prairie Grove, Siloam Springs, Fayetteville 1st and Fayetteville 2nd, Huntsville, and ending in Clarksville where we had dinner and taught Institute and then inspected the Clarksville elders apartment (they are in our zone.)  It as a long day from 8:30 to about 10:00 pm.

And there were flowers to see along the way

and cows smart enough to seek shade in the hot weather.

We have gotten to be friends with the Fayetteville 2nd elders..... 

From their apartment--the sign all the missionaries sign
who have lived in this apartment

Elder Handley, who is on the right, is from Las Vegas.  He is from the ward of a daughter of one of our missionaries in Salt Lake.  He came into the mission field just a month before us.  He is a convert to the Church and has a great warm personality. Gary had prepared a sign for their exercise bench to replace the one that was there before and they loved it!

Being in a new place, you see new things like these two road signs...

for a speed cushion which is a rubber bump only on part of the road.....

and a speed table which is cement and goes across the entire road (what we would call a speed bump)

A better view of the speed cushion....Elder Kutchinsky was transferred to Fayetteville 1st so it was great to see him again.  We get attached to these sweet missionaries.

This was our first visit to Huntsville which is to the east of Fayetteville about 30 miles or so.  It had some fun things to see as we entered into the town....

You have to love these two brothers setting up shop together--a dentist and a eye doctor

Sunset and a rainbow outside of the Clarksville missionaries' apartment

Friday we did the Ft. Smith and Van Buren missionaries and then on Saturday, we did the Greenwood missionaries.  Since we don't spend much time with them, we invited them to breakfast after the inspection and headed to the Waffle House--one of the fast food places you see everywhere in Arkansas.  I loved having a waffle!

us with Elder Jenkins and Elder Powell

It turned out our waitress was LDS.  She was home from college for the summer.  The missionaries didn't recognize her so it was sweet to watch them be bold and ask about Church.  Interestingly, our waitress for our lunch in Fayetteville also told us she was a member but that she currently attended Church with "her man" at the Salvation Army.  We felt like we should have issued her an invitation to attend again with "her man", but we were too chicken.  However, we told her we would try to come back and we invited the Fayetteville missionaries to come with us, so maybe we will do better next time.  She told us a couple of times while we were there that seeing us reminded her of many great memories she has about the Church and about her beliefs that she still has.  We just weren't prepared to be bold in the middle of apartment inspections.  We will do better next time.

Putting a lot of miles on our car but it is a beautiful place and serving as a missionary is awesome!