Rensselaer is Growing on Us

Rensselaer has it's quirky side.  Here are some great examples:

Sidewalks are only finished in front of lots where homes have been built.  If you live next to a vacant lot, the sidewalk ends and resumes on the other side of the lot.  I walk past this section every day.  I can't help but wonder how they are going to continue the sidewalk when and if a home is finally built there.  Someone should have noticed this, don't you think???

And here's another one.  Kinda looks like the fire hydrant might be in the way.

I totally love this one.  Craig noticed it right away.

Can you see that they have put in a door on the second floor?  We can only assume that they are planning on a porch or balcony.  However, we haven't seen one to date.

Remember how I said that the city will pick up your grass clippings and yard waste?  Well, we found the pile where they are dumped.  The pile is HUGE.  This is just a small section of it.

One of the things I will miss is the clouds.  Most days look like this.  Really beautiful.

AND, gas is fairly cheap here.  $3.09 is not bad.

Fall is coming.  We have had a few cold days.  The crops are dying.  The corn fields all look like this.

Beans look like this.

They should be harvesting them all soon.  Then it will be barren fields everywhere.
The trees are just starting to turn.

We spend a lot of our time doing service.  I thought I would share some of the things we've done.

We worked at Pat Sutton's home.  She is wheelchair bound and needs help around the house.
Craig fixed her front door so that the screen door would swing shut automatically.

We weeded her front yard.  Craig decided to paint her shutters.

They looked great............. until the next day.  It seems that because we painted in the shade on the back side of the house, the paint didn't set right.  During the night, the humidity was so high, that the paint literally ran off the shutters and onto the siding.

I guess all the neighbors came to offer suggestions as to how to remove the paint.  "Goof Off" worked best.  We used four cans and numerous rags to clean it.  It's still not done.  Going back this week to finish the job.  Now, we must decide whether to repaint the shutters.  Sigh.

Craig and I went back to the Francesville Rest Home to finish the shuffleboard courts that we started at the Helping Hands Day of Service.  You can see in the picture the area of cement that is clean.  We power washed the dark area so that the courts could be sealed.

We went with the Sister Missionaries to the Rensselaer Care Center.  They have a garden area that has not been tended in a long time.  It looked a lot like this.

We worked with the sisters and one of the nurses on staff.

The patients would come out a few at a time to watch.  

OK, so it got warm and they all went inside.  Here is Craig taking a much deserved break.  We made a huge dent and you can actually see the garden.  There is a much larger area that is still not done.  The Elder's Quorum is going back on Saturday to finish the job.

The nurse who requested we come was thrilled.  When we were done, she asked if we could pray with her.  She said we were an answer to her prayers.  I told her that she had prayed, God had heard, the Sister Missionaries had listened, and we had answered!!!  Isn't it great when it works like that??

We love serving here.  BUT, we are NOT looking forward to winter and are hoping it is not nearly as bad as last year.

Our primary is preparing for the Primary Program (we have TWO regular attending children and 9 others who may or may not show up.  Oh, yes, and a 3-year old, who had several lines to say!!)  Please remember us in your prayers for missionary work.